


Everyone Has Bodies and No One is Happy (Yet)

by BlackMageEljin



Series: Everyone Had Bodies and No One is Happy (Yet) [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Canon Universe, Even's chapters are basically just dream daddy, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Pulled from an RP that is currently 3 million words and counting, Sora will get laid one day, a lot of FF lore and metaphysics but explained without spoilers, goes from fluff to angst at the drop of a hat, graphic violence warning is literally just for Vanitas, lots of poly relationships, love polyhedrons, mostly also just Vanitas, or at least until kh3 comes out ; ), rp transcript, smut but only for a few ships, sorry for the purple prose, sorry in general, the first chapter is a shitpost but the rest is actually serious i promise, we named the replica
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-20
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-01-01 02:03:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 144,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12146271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackMageEljin/pseuds/BlackMageEljin
Summary: Set just after the full cast is reunited- Aqua being rescued, Terra restored, and Ven awoken and even a few other lost ones pulled from the darkness on the other side. A hypothetical mid KH3 setting where the now hodge podge heroes of light (you know, those former organization members, the wayfinders, and Sora's main crew) struggle to get ready for the impending war for Kingdom Hearts. Because, you know, they're pinning all their hopes on a lot of teenagers who've already been through a lot of shit, and also still have hormones and puberty. The seekers are having similar problems with their younger members.A slow progression of many ships as we follow the lives of the main KH cast. Everyone has their own problems and baggage, but while they're all trying to fight together all of those things become intertwined. From fluff to angst to smut to just some good wholesome friendships and families. And a lot of in depth studies on far too many characters at once.Long, loooong fic. A transposed 3 million word RP log that is still running. We wanted to share <3. Planned to update 3 times a week.





	1. A Lot of People With PTSD and Social Anxiety go to a Party

**Author's Note:**

> For your convenience, a table of contents for chapters by ship can be found here http://archiveofourown.org/works/12550940 as another work in this series.  
> For readers wanting pick out ships, or skip their notps for the others.

 

Riku stood awkwardly behind Sora at the strange gathering that was being disguised as a 'welcome party'. It was obviously an attempt to strengthen the bonds between the very ragtag group they had managed to assemble for the sake of defeating Xehanort. Everyone had a common goal, and were happy to work together to achieve it, but things were still... awkward. At least they were for Riku. He wasn't... good at these sort of things. He really wasn't good with dealing with people in general... So he clung to Sora and Kairi, smiling and nodding when appropriate, and trying not to think about the fact that he had technically killed two of the people in the room (or so he thought, he wasn't aware Zexion had escaped only to fall at Axel's hands).

Instead he tried to focus on the three newcomers. Though that wasn't much better... Aqua was a fellow Master, but he felt she deserved the title much more than he did; honestly he was sort of intimidated by her. Terra was... They had been through much of the same, but you couldn't really just start a conversation about that could you. 'Yeah so I was possessed by a Xehanort once too man that sucked.' Yeah- no. Ven was... pure light. It really showed, he was so kind and sweet... He reminded him a bit of Sora... but he reminded him a bit of Kairi too. But he also... looked like a certain Nobody whose life he had personally ruined. He knew they were different, but the guilt still flared up.

And speaking of Roxas, Riku had taken to avoiding the boy like the plague. He was a nice kid- but that was the problem, he had hurt an innocent, even if he had been a member of the Organization... He didn't regret it; for Sora, he'd do it all again but... He still didn't want to face Roxas. Even if Ax- _Lea_ didn't seem to hold anything against him... He was pretty much in the same boat with Xion. He had basically convinced her her life wasn't worth as much as 'the real things', but he knew in his heart that wasn't really right... Riku moved a bit closer to Sora, feeling more out of place than he had before.

Meanwhile, Terra was in a somewhat similar situation. He was sticking close to Ven- though that was just as much for his own comfort as it was the fact that he had sworn to never let the other boy out of his sight ever again. He had... a lot of conflicted feelings he still had to sort through about everything that had happened; he still hadn't been himself again for very long. Still, he wasn't quite as self blaming as Riku- but he was still about as awkward. Half the people here had been close to him when he... wasn't him. He just didn't know how he was supposed to talk to them... It didn't help that Ven seemed to know one of them. Sora and his friends seemed nice enough, but, well... He was... nervous? But it was a kind of ordinary, _normal_ sort of feeling. The fact that he was able to experience something mundane like social awkwardness again was... nice.

In the end, the thought seemed to calm him down a lot. He had something he wanted to say so... He took a deep breath and peeled himself from Ven's side (though he was sure he was still in sight) and made his way over to Sora. "....Um, Sora?" he asked to get the boy's attention, doing his best to keep his manner about him.

Sora was midway through explaining about the Nightmare Young Xehanort had thrown at him when Terra came over. Immediately upon the call for his attention, Sora's head snapped up to look at the taller man, attention span about as long as an inchworm when he was excited. "Huh? Oh, um, you're..." Sora started, trying to recall the man's name but having difficulty doing so. "Uh..."

"Terra," Kairi supplied helpfully. She'd had an easier time remembering everyone's names, possibly because for the most part she'd only gotten to hear about adventures rather than being on them herself. She had to listen closely to make sure it didn't sound like Sora was going to run off again, after all.

"Terra, right!" Sora replied, folding his arms behind his head and offering Terra a goofy smile. "What's up?"

Terra smiled, not in the least bit offended by the fact Sora hadn't quite remembered his name; there were a lot of new faces after all, he could hardly blame him. "I wanted to thank you- for taking care of Ven while Aqua and I were away. We're all together again because of you." Straightforward and simple, Terra said what he meant without bothering to dress things up or make small talk. He gave a small bow as he was trained to, but then the smile slowly slipped off his face. "And..." He stood up straight again, eyes trained on the floor. "...I apologize for all the trouble I caused..."

"It wasn't your fault," Riku said immediately, almost automatically. It was easy for him to say that much to Terra- he just... was always bad at taking his own advice. Besides, from what he understood his and Terra's situations were different; he had been forced into the Darkness, he hadn't just let it in... Regardless, it was obviously something Terra needed to hear, and hearing it through someone who'd gone through the same things might mean a little more.

Terra looked up at Riku, surprised at how he'd said that without so much as missing a beat. Riku had been manipulated the same way he had... and in a way, it was sort of Terra's fault for passing the keyblade to him in the first place. But what was done was done... He tried to take Riku's words to heart. He smiled, and nodded. "You too."

Riku was almost taken aback by that, having not expected his sentiment to be returned to him. He wasn't sure how much he could really believe things weren't his fault, and it was tempting to just write it off as 'Terra not knowing the full story', but he forced himself not to. Sora and Kairi were constantly trying to get him to forgive himself, so he tried to take the positive reinforcement at face value. "Right..." ...though in the end he still didn't sound too sure of himself.

Terra then looked off to a wall awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ah, sorry, I didn't mean to bring everyone down..."

"Cheer up you guys," Sora insisted, giving each of the other men a hearty pat on the back. "This is supposed to be a party! Who cares what happened, we're all together now and that's what matters." Being Sora, the brunette missed the fact that there were at least two people who clearly cared what happened, but his unflinching optimism blinded him to that. He did have something of a point, though, even if it wasn't necessarily worded the best.

"Maybe we should try to get everyone to play a game?" Kairi suggested, having noticed how mopey and segmented off everyone was. They would work together better when the time came to finally defeat Xehanort for good if they actually, you know, got along with each other. Nothing like a good game to function as an ice breaker, right? Goodness knew the rest of the party wasn't a sufficient catalyst...

"That's a great idea, Kairi!" Sora beamed at his friend, fully on board with anything remotely related to the word 'fun'. In the next moment, the Kingdom Key's wielder tilted his head as he mused, "But, what game should we play...?"

Riku smiled softly down at Sora. As expected, Sora had melted his heart in just a second. He was the only one who seemed capable of absolving him of his self-doubt; and without even really trying at that. When he was alone, it'd all come slinking back to him... but for now, here, with Sora, he could be happy, at least for a little while... "A game, huh?" He put a hand on his hip. Most of the things they did back on the island had been more sport than game, thinking of something might wind up easier said than done.

Terra smiled as well. Sora reminded him of Ven in some ways, although he supposed that was to be expected. He had such a kind heart... They were lucky to have someone like him on their side. Terra crossed his arms and tilted his head. "I don't think I know any games this many people can play." After all, there were scarcely ever more than 4 people on the Land of Departure. But someone was bound to think of something. It seemed like a good idea... Well, ok, he was mostly just thinking that it sounded like something Ven would like, but he was allowed to be a little biased.

When the tall keyblade wielder had wandered off to go talk to Sora, Ven had attempted to follow after him only to be stopped by Aqua. He looked at her with questioning, almost pleading eyes; Ventus had missed her dearly, but he'd missed Terra _more_. Terra wasn't the only one who didn't want to be separated again. Aqua only shook her head, explaining, "I think Terra wants to speak to Sora on his own. He might have trouble doing that if you go with him."

"Okay..." came Ven's disheartened reply. Aqua's heart hurt at Ven's expression; they were finally together again, there shouldn't be any need for Ven to look like a kicked puppy. She understood, though. Aqua had spent so long in the Realm of Darkness looking for her friends, for a way out, that she'd started hallucinating them at some point. Obviously the keyblade master was in no rush to let either of her friends away from her side, either. But, still, for now the danger had passed, and if they spent forever moping about the time they'd lost, they risked missing out on the future they could have.

"Hey, cheer up. This is supposed to be a party, right?" Aqua asked, offering Ventus a kind smile and a warm hand on his shoulder. That smile brightened a fraction when Ven looked up at her. "Why don't you go say hello to some of the others? After all, you might not get the chance once Terra comes back," she suggested, laughing lightly at the mention of Terra's obvious overprotective tendencies. Even Aqua could barely get a moment alone with Ven nowadays. But, though she hated to admit it, she'd gotten somewhat used to the solitude, and having a moment to herself sounded just as appealing as holding Ven and Terra tight and never letting them go. She was right, if Ven didn't take this chance to talk to the other "party"goers, he might not get another.

Ven hesitated for a moment; like his two friends, he was reluctant to leave either of them, for any reason. But... Well, Aqua _did_ have a point. He recognized some of the faces in the crowd from when he'd visited Radiant Garden all those years back, and he definitely remembered the red-head from their sparring match. Maybe he could go catch up with him. Even if it might be a bit awkward with his effective doppelganger over there... Well, maybe talking to them both at the same time would help them learn who was who better? Regardless, it seemed a good enough place to start. Deciding on his course of action, Ven quickly gave Aqua a tight hug before scurrying off to talk to Lea.

On the other side of the room, Lea was huddled into a corner with Roxas, Xion and Naminé. Well, he had nothing against anyone else in the room really, he just had priorities- and those priorities were Roxas and Xion. Naminé had seemed more comfortable with them than any of the other cliques that had seemed to form (she obviously got on fine with Kairi and Riku, but she still felt bad for what she had done to Sora, despite it not really being her fault) and he didn't mind her, so it was no skin off his back. He knew he was supposed to be making nice with the new kids but... well, he knew Ven, sure, and they were friends! Even if they had only met that one day, but he had _just_ gotten Roxas and Xion back. In the grand scheme of things, they hadn't been apart for that long... especially compared to the new kids who had just gotten off a ten year break, but still, he had missed his friends dearly, and part of him had given up hope on ever seeing them again...

"So, Roxas, how's it feel to be yourself again? Glad to know your heart's the real deal?" Typical of himself, he waved his hands around as he spoke.

"I guess I could ask you the same thing. Honestly, it's... weird, I guess? I don't know how to really explain it. I don't feel as different as I thought I was going to..." Roxas finally responded, subconsciously trying to suppress the urge to either hug or punch Lea. Just to see if he was real. Just to see if _any_ of this was real. It didn't feel like it was, like something that was too good to really be true. Having both Xion and Axel back with him again? It was everything he'd ever dreamed about. And here they all were...

"I can tell you I'm relieved," Xion added in, swinging her legs from the table she'd hopped up on. Maybe it was all the time spent eating ice cream on top of the clock tower, but for some reason she just felt better with her legs hanging freely. She wanted to take as much advantage of having her own heart and body as she could, so she wasn't about to deny herself the little joys she found. Honestly, at the thought of the clock tower, she began to have an intense craving for seasalt ice cream. "We can all go get ice cream like we used to now," Xion half commented, half suggested. Nothing like comfort food to calm the nerves.

Lea grinned at Xion. "That's right! We can all go back to Twilight Town the next time we get a chance!" Lea turned back to Roxas and was about to say something when he noticed another blonde approaching from the corner of his eye. "Well, well! If it isn't Ven! Long time no see. Enjoying the waking world?"

Ven was smiling brightly at Lea as he came to join their group, happy the red-head remembered him as well. "You know it, Lea! Don't worry, I got it memorized," he answered, tapping his head in Lea's trademark way. Lea certainly left an impression on people, that was for sure. Turning to the rest of the group, Ven greeted, "Hey Roxas, hi Xion, Naminé. What are you guys up to over here?"

"Just catching up, mostly," Xion responded while Roxas pretended Ven's greeting to Lea hadn't caused a spark of jealousy. There was no reason for him to be jealous, he knew; Ven was obviously more interested in his own friends, but the former Nobody was still getting used to truly being his own person. Xion at least seemed more amused at Ven's antics than anything. Continuing to swing her legs, she continued, "We were talking about some of the things we wanna do now that we're back together."

Naminé finally spoke up. "Yes. They were talking about going to get ice cream." Although the way she phrased it was like she wasn't going herself. She was happy to take refuge with them during this little gathering, but she didn't want to intrude on their time together... as much as she wanted to spend more time with Roxas. He was, after all, like her brother in a way.

Lea had grinned Ven had repeated his catchphrase back to him. He hadn't noticed - or chose not to address - Naminé's self-excluding wording of her comment. "That's right! Hey- what do you say we have a rematch some time, Ven? You know, I'm a keyblade wielder too now; I bet you'd be surprised by what I can do!" Of course, he had 10 years of battle experience on Ven now that might have put him at a disadvantage... if he wasn't a complete novice with a keyblade. It'd probably even out in the end. And he was definitely less scared of fighting Ven than Roxas... He couldn’t keep up with dual wielding at all.

Ven smirked at Lea. "Sounds good to me. I won't hold back on you, though," he offered in challenge, having the feeling Lea wouldn't hold back too much on him either. Though... He might, if he mistook him for Roxas too much... Though who knew, maybe that would mean Lea would fight all the harder. Time would tell, and he was sure it would be a good match regardless. Turning to the others to address the other topic at hand, Ven suggested, "We should all go get ice cream together sometime. They had some really cool ice cream making stuff at Disney Town the last time I was there."

Xion's eyes lit up and even Roxas looked intrigued at the mention of the ice cream makers. Needless to say, the two of them were immediately sold on the idea, even if Roxas wished it was just him, Xion, and A-er, Lea going. The female of the two replied, "That sounds like a great idea! I've never been to Disney Town. Do they have a lot of flavors?" She could've squealed when Ven nodded the affirmative.

"Well then isn't that something! Why keep buying the same old when you can make your own? Then again, sea salt is a classic, I just don't know if you can really beat it- what do you think, Roxas?" Lea finally returned his attention to 'his' blonde. He locked eyes with him, his usual smirk playing across his lips. The look he gave Roxas was somewhat pointed, as though he were apologizing for having turned his attention away from him for so long- even if it had really only been barely a few minutes.

Roxas perked up and the small pout that had formed vanished when Lea addressed him again. He took a moment to consider what his feelings on the matter of ice cream were before answering, "...Sea Salt will probably always be my favorite, but it couldn't hurt to try some other flavors too." No matter how objectively good the other flavors of ice cream tasted, sea salt would just always hold a special place in his heart. Honestly, it felt like his heart had been built around the things sea salt ice cream had been a catalyst for... Yeah, sea salt was definitely the best.

"Yeah, we should try ALL the ice cream!" Xion agreed, excited at the prospect of so much ice cream in one place. "We can do stuff like mix sea salt with other flavors, right?" she asked Ven, also rather fond of their go-to flavor, much for the same reason as Roxas. This time she couldn't contain a small squeal when Ventus happily nodded the affirmative. Oh, this was going to be so much fun...!

Lea nodded, agreeing with his two best friend's evaluations whole-heartedly. "Then it's settled! Ven, you're taking us to Disney Town! And to make things interesting, let's say whoever loses our little sparring match buys the first round! And-" Lea cut himself off when he noticed a certain brunette staring openly at one Ventus. He blinked, then grinned, an 'I'm definitely not up to something what are you talking about' twinkle in his eye. "Well now, looks like you need to get back to your boyfriend there before he worries himself to death. Talk about separation anxiety- not that I blame him, of course." Or could really talk himself, he added mentally with a quick glance to Roxas.

Naminé didn't say anything, but she quickly covered her mouth to quiet a small gasp at Lea's statement. Her... powers had left her very... perceptive of matters of the heart, so she saw a storm forming as soon as the words left the red-head's lips.

Ven turned red from head to toe at the word 'boyfriend'. "Wh-What...? He's... I'm not... I mean, we're not-" he tried, blush turning a shade darker when both Roxas and Xion offered him disbelieving stares. If anyone knew the leanings of Ven's heart, it would be the ones who shared it with him for a time. But really, despite what Ven had previously thought, it was fairly obvious that there was at least some more-than-friends potential in that relationship. It hadn't occurred until too late that Lea might just be teasing him.

And finally, against the back wall was a group of familiar scientists... plus one blonde musician. Demyx- everyone here only knew him as Demyx, he thought it was kinda pointless to change his name back at this point... Besides, it was the name he had when he met... Anyway! Ever since he had found his way to Radiant Garden he had stuck to a certain cloaked schemer like glue- or well, as much as Even would actually let him. He'd been kicked out of more than one lab... but that was fine! He still got to spend plenty of time with his belov- uuuhhh... friend! He had always been... fond, of Zexion - Ienzo now - but in the past it had been brushed off by nearly every one of his colleagues (Roxas never judged him... for that at least). He had known they had hearts; he had never doubted it for a second. He never thought the Sup- eeer... Xemnas... was _lying_ to them about it... He had just assumed he was _wrong_ , that they were all wrong, and they were! They did too have hearts! The whole time! There never would have been so much drama in that castle if they didn't! But no one took him seriously, not even Zexion... Oh well, they _definitely_ had hearts now! So no one could tell him his feelings weren't real! Not that he had feelings- er he _had_ feelings just not... those kind! You know... eheh...

Aaaaanyway, Demyx was taking this social opportunity to stick as close to Ienzo as he could (without drawing suspicion... or at least what he thought wasn't drawing suspicion). "So... Ienzo..." Demyx began, trying and failing to strike up a normal sounding conversation. Eventually he thought of something somewhat relevant to say. "...Oh! You've met one of the new guys before right? Way back when?"

Much to Demyx's displeasure, Aeleus was the one who responded to his question. "That was a very long time ago... but yes. It was a very brief meeting, for all of us." Said giant was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed in typical fashion. Demyx was, frankly, as transparent as the water he wielded. How he had thought no one would notice... Well, he wasn't hurting anyone; it was innocent enough, but... he still found himself worrying about Ienzo, even if it was irrational. He had failed to protect him many years ago and it had cost the boy his entire childhood, he wasn't about to repeat the same mistake again.

Ienzo barely acknowledged Demyx's question, only offering him a brief glance as Aeleus answered for him. He was too busy effectively people watching; subtly staring at various people, analyzing their movement patterns, their choice of conversational partners, the speech patterns of those he could hear. As per the usual, Ienzo was living up to his Nobody's epithet, quietly scheming while his attention wasn't otherwise commanded. After all, there were a plethora of keyblade wielders - some even full-on Masters - in the room, some of which didn't know his reputation for... morally ambiguous scientific advancement. Aeleus could keep Demyx occupied in the meantime, anyway. It wasn't like he was at a risk of losing the musician's company.

Even, however, was quickly losing patience with the blonde. He was largely uninterested in the rest of the gathering, having only agreed to come to keep an eye on Ienzo. Despite everything, he still didn't quite trust the newest keyblade wielder to not try something shady. After all, he and Ienzo had already been murdered once. He also didn't trust Demyx to not do something... _untoward_ if left to his own devices. And he definitely wasn't somewhat bitter that the other blonde had been right about them having hearts the whole time. Were he another man he might be concerned that that made some of the things he'd done harder to justify, but, well, he was Even. "Yes... I believe that was shortly before we began the Heartless experiments," he mused, casting Ven a glance as the boy ran off to join the angst corner. He certainly was an interesting one... Even wondered if he even remembered the meeting, or if Ienzo himself remembered. It turned out they were fated to meet again after all...

Demyx pouted. "Right..." He glanced back at Ienzo, watching the smaller boy watch everyone else. It was amazing how he could be so observant and yet completely ignore the world around him at the same time. He just... wanted to have a conversation with him, was that so much to ask? Apparently. He wasn't really on Ienzo's level, so finding things to talk about could be hard... but that didn't stop him from trying! "So are you uh... starting any new experiments, Ienzo? Now that the castle labs are fixed up n' stuff?" If Ienzo actually answered him this time, he probably wouldn't be able to understand it but... it would be something!

Aeleus' attention had shifted from the immediate conversation, like Ienzo, to the rest of the room. Particularly he was now keeping an eye on the conversation between the two dark heroes... Their wounds no doubt ran deep, and such a meeting had just as much chance of healing as it did reopening them... Sora would, more than likely, take care of it, but there was no harm in being sure.

Ienzo hummed in acknowledgement of Demyx's question as he thought of an actual answer. Without diverting his gaze from the crowd for even a moment, the small scientist responded, "There is still some work to be done to truly get the castle labs fully functional, but I have been drafting up some ideas for future research." It was true, he had drafted a few ideas, some even on paper. Most, however, were still filed away securely in his head. When possible, Ienzo preferred not to leave a paper trail of prepwork until after his experiment had already begun and it was too late to prevent him from getting the materials necessary. He'd had to be quite careful around Ansem, after all.

Hearing Ienzo's response to Demyx, Even made a face as though he had personally been insulted and insisted, "There is nothing wrong with the castle laboratories. They are entirely in working order and the repairs were finished a week ago."

"Is that why the centrifuge exploded yesterday?" Ienzo replied without missing a beat, a small smirk forming on his face. It took almost all his willpower to not let it widen at Even's flinch and noise of irritation at being caught in a lie. Well, perhaps half-truth was a better term; the official repairs _had_ been finished, but that only applied to the structural integrity and other major issues. Many of the machines still needed fine-tuning before they could be used with the kind of medical precision necessary for Ienzo's work.

Demyx's eyes lit up when he saw the opportunity before him. "I can help you fix stuff! I mean- I might not be able to do any of the fancy stuff... but I can do grunt work! You know hold stuff and... stuff." He seemed a bit embarrassed he hadn't thought his plan through before speaking and realized halfway in he might not actually be able to help but... Well, if there was _anything_ at all he could do he would!

Aeleus watched as the situation across the room was successfully dissolved by Sora as expected... though he had a feeling he would have to have a talk with them at some point or another regardless. Still, for now he let his attention shift back to the conversation at hand and... chose not to comment. He was a man of few words, after all, and he was interested to see how Ienzo would take the proposal.

A hum drew the attention of the science corner to Ienzo. There was no chance that the schemer would let Demyx touch the machines themselves - Even would see to that even if Ienzo otherwise agreed - but having someone to hold and fetch things while he worked might be convenient... After all, Aeleus and Even had enough work to do on their own, and it would help reduce their load if they didn't have to keep throwing Demyx out all the time. Besides, Demyx was a musician, so he certainly had good hand-eye coordination, and strong, dexterous fingers... Uh... An unbidden thought flitted across Ienzo's mind before it was blocked out by more relevant considerations. While he was sure of Demyx's hands, the rest of him Ienzo was less sure about. "How is your coordination?" he finally decided to ask outright. Any hesitation would give him the answer he needed.

Demyx blinked, a little confused by the question at first; not how to answer it, just why it had been asked in the first place. It didn't last long though, soon enough he was grinning. "You have to ask?" And then he decided to show rather than tell, moonwalking his way a bit further from the group before he began to dance - quite intricately and impressively, if he did say so himself - occasionally interrupted by air sitaring and accompanied by his own sound effects. It hardly lasted more than 10 seconds, and it ended with an "OW!" and Demyx pointing dramatically at Ienzo, giving him a wink at the last moment.

Ienzo was hiding an amused smirk behind his usual thoughtful pose. Well, that certainly answered the question about his coordination. It took a great deal of effort to ignore Even's scoff of distaste. The older man's response was almost enough to make him say yes right then and there, just to troll him. Still, there were a good deal of pros and cons he would have to seriously list out and consider, so for now Ienzo simply answered with, "...I will consider the offer."

Even looked positively aghast. "Ienzo, you can't honestly be considering-"

"I did not say I would allow him to assist me, I said I would consider it. Though from your objection, it almost seems as though you like physically removing Demyx from the lab multiple times per day," the youngest of the team interrupted, eyes straying from Demyx back to the crowd at large. His gaze caught Aqua's for a bare moment before the keyblade master continued wandering off from where she'd gotten distracted by Demyx's show.

Even made a sour face and also turned to scan the crowd. He watched Aqua leave with a raised eyebrow, having missed hearing where she was going. Honestly he was half tempted to try and follow her, but that would be admitting to Ienzo he was more distraught than he was trying to let on. Eventually his attention turned to Sora and his group. It seemed as though they were plotting something, and that had Even curious...

Demyx's eyes lit up at Ienzo's words. He basically didn't hear the argument with Even; he was too excited. Suddenly, he grabbed both of Ienzo's hands in his. "I promise I'll do my best! I won't let you down! You can count on me!" he declared, as though Ienzo had accepted his offer rather than nebulously agreed to 'consider' it.

Ienzo blinked blankly at Demyx, trying to comprehend the sudden contact and change in position. He really should've expected a response like that, but, well... Demyx's enthusiasm was still a bit much for the scientist to handle. The surprise resulted in Ienzo neglecting to withdraw his hands from the musician's as he responded with a blandly confused, "...Okay?"

Even, in the meantime, had bristled at the contact between the two younger members. Despite knowing Ienzo could take care of himself, he still felt responsible for his wellbeing to a degree. And besides, nothing good could come from a distraction like Demyx hanging around his prodigy. It took a great deal of self-control not to forcibly rip the two apart, though that feat was made easier by the lingering suspicion that Ienzo would purposefully begin hanging on Demyx just to mess with him. The boy could be almost as bad as Marluxia when he wasn't actively working on an experiment. Well, no, no one was remotely as bad as Marluxia. Maybe as bad as Lea was a somewhat closer comparison. Or Dilan.

Aeleus shook his head, but he smiled a little despite himself. What was he ever going to do with these kids? Of course, with Demyx's spectacle coming to an end he noticed what Even had; the plotting of the princess and the hero of light. This was certainly going to be interesting...     

And back with the Paopu Trio plus Terra, a few beats passed as they tried to think of a game everyone could play. And... Well, Kairi had an idea, but it was a bit risky having some of the more... _innocent_ people in the room play it. Though, maybe they weren't as innocent as she thought? There was only one way to find out. Deciding to risk it, Kairi announced, "Well, I have a game called Cards Against Humanity we could play, there's definitely enough cards for everyone."

 


	2. Much Innocence Was Lost That Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kairi proves that purity of heart has nothing to do with sexuality, maturity, and possibly being a decent human by convincing the group to play Cards Against Humanity as a 'friendly icebreaker'.
> 
> Never tell Terra to 'take advice from a wise old black man.'
> 
> Also an unexpected party crasher arrives.

"Cards Against Humanity? What's that?" Sora asked, oblivious to the game's existence.

"It's a card game, as the name implies," the Princess of Heart explained. "People take turns being the judge and drawing a black topic card, and then everyone else plays a white card they think matches the topic card. Then the judge picks which card they think matches the best and the person who played the white card gets a point."

"Sounds cool," Sora responded, flashing Kairi his trademark goofy grin. It sounded fun enough, and it was the best idea they'd had so far.

Riku was listening to Kairi's explanation of the game. It seemed simple enough but... he got the feeling there was a bit more to it than there seemed. Partially because a name like 'Cards Against Humanity' didn't exactly inspire much confidence in him... and partially because he had known Kairi long enough that finding out she was oh so pure of heart had been surprising for a _reason_. He loved her dearly, but she could be... capricious, when she wanted to be. He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "So that's all there is to it?" He sounded like he wasn't going to believe her if the answer was 'yes', but like he expected to get that answer anyway.

Kairi nodded in response to Riku's question. "That's the gist of the rules. There are some other house rules that get played pretty commonly, like betting one of your won black cards to play an extra white card in a round, things like that. It's a pretty simple game." She wasn't _technically_ avoiding what she knew Riku really wanted to know. After all, the subject matter on the cards didn't really have anything to do with the actual rules.

Riku still wasn't sold that Kairi had given him the whole truth, but he let it drop anyway, for better or for worse. "...Alright, so let's play. Sora, why don't you round everybody up?" He smiled gently and said more softly, "It's your heart that connects us all, after all."

As they were deciding on their game, Aqua came up and tapped Terra on his shoulder to get his attention. "I'm going to go help out Dilan in the kitchen, keep an eye on Ven for me, all right?" she relayed, intending to head out as soon as she got his word.

Terra couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. "Really? You're such a girl sometimes, Aqua." He quickly continued before she had a chance to counter the comment. "Don't worry, I'll look after Ven."

Aqua smirked and punched Terra lightly on the arm as she wandered off. As parting words, she offered, "Come on, Terra, you know how disappointed Ven will be if there isn't enough cake."

Terra watched Aqua leave- well, until she stopped to watch something, at which point he followed her gaze to see one of their new allies... dancing? Part of him was worried Ven would see and challenge him to a dance off, which would just be too... silly. Then again maybe they needed some silliness right now? A quick glance in Ven's direction revealed that it didn't matter because he was too engrossed in whatever conversation he was having with Lea and... the boy who looked like him. Roxas didn't bother Terra or anything - and he knew he had every right to be his own person as everyone else there did - but it was still... unsettling seeing Ven's face make expressions that were so... un-Ven like. So far he hadn't had any trouble telling them apart, but it was still... strange.

With the local ice cream fanatics, before anyone could comment further, Sora came bounding over to them after having flashed Riku a bright smile. "Hey guys, we're gonna play a game. Kairi said it's called Cards Against Humanity, it sounds pretty fun," he said in greeting, getting straight to the point.

"Cards Against Humanity? What's that?" Roxas asked, just as skeptical as Riku had been. It sounded like the kind of game Nobodies would play. Specifically Luxord.

Sora shrugged in response. "Sounded like some kind of matching game or something. Kairi can explain it better than I can."

"I'm up for a game," Xion responded, hopping off the table she'd still been perched on. It was about time they actually did something. This _was_ technically supposed to be a party, after all. Ven, meanwhile, was desperately fighting to get his blush back under control. He would be just mortified if Terra wound up asking him what was wrong...

"Well, it's better than just standing around I guess." Lea smiled politely at Sora. He knew, realistically, that there was probably no way of them getting out of playing if they wanted to. Still the name of the game was extremely suspicious... but Kairi had suggested it, and he still remembered the little girl he would help sneak out of the castle to pick flowers... Then again, he also remembered the girl who ran head first into a dark portal to get away from him, so who knew what really went on in that head of hers.

Naminé, however, being Kairi, knew _exactly_ what 'Cards Against Humanity' entailed. She sighed. "Well this will be... interesting," she said quietly, not caring if someone overheard but not speaking with the intent of it either. She shook her head, but smiled regardless. This was certainly going to be a night to remember.

Roxas and Xion, in the meantime, exchanged looks with each other. Xion shrugged and turned back to Sora. "Are we playing on a table or the floor?" she asked as she started heading back towards the middle of the room.

"...You know, I didn't think about that," Sora responded, hands behind his head as he headed back to the center of the room with Xion. Kairi probably had an idea of what to do about that. Or one of the Radiant Garden residents would. Should he be going to talk to them? A quick glance over revealed that that didn't seem to be necessary.

Roxas, too, began heading to the converging group. As he passed Naminé, he offered his sort-of sister a, "You coming?" as an invitation. He knew she still felt out of place in the group, but maybe this game would help ease some of that tension. That was the point anyway, he figured.

Naminé smiled at Roxas, happy that he would be concerned over her. Though for once, her hesitation wasn't for the usual reasons, but her unfortunate knowledge of what was to come... "Of course." Well, it'd be a bit messy, but it would probably still be fun anyway, right? She followed Roxas to the center group.

Lea, ever observant, ever mischievous, couldn't help but notice a certain exchange between two keyblade wielders. He had actually just been being his smart ass self before, but apparently he had been right on the money. This was certainly an interesting development... He'd keep it to himself... for now.

He walked up to Roxas and slung an arm over his shoulder the way he had many times before, leaning down quite a bit to make up the difference in their heights. "So what do you say, Roxas? We gonna win or what?" he declared, knowing none of the rules of the game or any skills it would involve.

"'We'? Please, I'm gonna win and make you buy me ice cream," Roxas challenged playfully, elbowing Lea lightly in the side. He didn't really know any of the rules either, but it _probably_ wasn't a team-based game. Even if it was, it was doubtful they'd get to partner with people they already knew, since the point of all this was to 'make new friends'. Well, if it was boring, they could always do something else. Like make Ven take them to go get that ice cream.

Meanwhile, Terra had been watching Ven through his little exchange with Lea. He hadn't heard what was said, and Ven was facing away from him so he couldn't see his face, but his body language clearly indicated he was uncomfortable. He was probably just getting teased but... Well, Terra was nothing if not overprotective, so he walked over and laid a hand on Ven's shoulder. He opened his mouth to ask if Ven was excited about the game, but then noticed how _red_ he was and became concerned. "Are you alright, Ven? You look red..." Well, he was probably embarrassed by something or other (and now he wasn't sure he quite trusted Lea if he drew this kind of reaction from the small boy) but that didn't stop him from pressing his hand to Ven's forehead to check for a fever.

Ven flinched as Terra's hand met his shoulder, trying and failing to relax as the tall brunette checked for a fever. As soon as his senses had caught back up with him, Ven grabbed Terra's hand off his head and began dragging him away, answering with a quick, "Yep! We're gonna go play Kairi's game now!" Because that wasn't obviously an avoidance of the topic. But in that moment, all Ven wanted was Terra to be _away_ from Lea. This game might turn out to be a nightmare now...

Terra let himself get dragged off, now even more confused and concerned about Ven's odd behavior. Now, though, probably wasn't the time to press him about it. He'd have to wait until it was at least just him and Aqua. What the hell had Lea said that had gotten Ven so worked up...? Maybe Lea was the one who needed interrogating... "Oh, alright..." was all he managed to say.

It took hardly any effort to overhear the relevant bits of the conversation between Sora and the others. The boy was nothing if not loud. So, they were collecting everyone present for some kind of card game, hmm? "It would appear Sora is gathering everyone for a game," Even announced to the rest of Team Science (and Demyx), sounding just slightly smug. He always did when executing a plan, and right now that plan was to separate the other blonde from Ienzo posthaste.

Demyx looked up at Even as he spoke, but made no moves to drop Ienzo's hands. He smiled brightly. "Sounds like fun!" He turned back to Ienzo. "You're gonna play too, right?"

Aeleus almost laughed at how miserably Even's obvious attempt to split the two up had failed. If anything, whatever this game was more likely had potential to bring them closer together. "It would be rude to decline such an invitation," he said, not quite answering Ienzo's question for him, but at the same time leaving no room for him or Even to say no.

Even glowered at Demyx's lack of proper response. The two had been connected for far too long already... This distraction had to stop. At least Ienzo wasn't blushing like a little school girl, like a certain blonde was. Well, there was clearly nothing Even could do at that moment, so with great regret and a sour look still adorning his face, the scholar began wandering off to the gathering conglomerate. Maybe he'd be able to situate himself between Ienzo and Demyx when they settled in to play the game.

Finally withdrawing his hands from Demyx's, Ienzo responded partially to the blonde and partially to Aeleus, "I suppose I do count as part of 'everyone'." He was intrigued, he'd admit, but it would no doubt serve as an opportunity to worm his way into a keyblade-wielding circle. One of his schemes was to convince someone to let him examine their keyblade, after all. He'd never quite gotten the chance to analyze Roxas' before he'd been sent away to Castle Oblivion, and Xehanort's could only provide so much information. Ienzo's intention on playing whatever game Sora and Kairi had come up with certainly had nothing to do with Demyx's desire that he play, of course.

Demyx smiled brightly, in no way offended or disheartened by the loss of contact. "Of course you do!" And much to Even's inevitable dismay, he took one of Ienzo's hands again, this time for the innocent purpose of pulling him along to the main group. "Come on!"

Aeleus allowed himself a fuller smile, shaking his head once again at the boy's antics. He didn't say anything as he slowly followed behind them, joining the group to play whatever game their princess has brought for them.

"Wh- _Hey_!" Ienzo protested as Demyx pulled him along, much to Even's incredibly obvious displeasure. The older blonde bristled like a cat that had just licked a lemon as they passed him by. Ienzo nearly tripped over his own feet as a result of being pulled along by Demyx; he was seriously reconsidering his consideration of using the musician as a lab assistant. 'Lab assistant' was also a gross overstatement of Demyx's intended use, but Ienzo was too thrown-off to correct the terminology. That wasn't a feeling he particularly decided he liked. Once they arrived at the main group, Ienzo pulled his hand rather roughly back from Demyx's grip. Much more of that and he'd retreat to the library...

"Hey Kairi, are we gonna play on the floor or get a table?" Sora asked as everyone finally convened in the center of the room. It was a good point that had been made, and he still hadn't thought of a proper solution. Kairi tilted her head as she thought of which was the better option, but Even cut in before she could come to one.

"It would likely be easier to play on the floor. Much of the furniture has yet to be replaced and we have... thirteen players," he insisted, pausing to count all the present people. The irony of the number was far from lost on him. The fact that he was largely outright lying about the furniture and they could probably find _something_ was not lost on anyone who realized Even just wanted to make sure anything Demyx tried with Ienzo was out in the open and not hidden under a table. Like water, ice wasn't always terribly opaque.

"Works for me. How do we play?" Xion asked, still mostly unsure just what they were doing. She watched Kairi curiously as the other girl dug through her things and pulled out a large box of what she assumed to be the playing cards. With a box that big there were definitely a lot of cards. That should hopefully suffice for all apparently thirteen of their players.

Kairi took a moment to explain the rules of the game in slightly more detail than she'd told Riku before. "All right, so the way this game is played is every turn someone is what's called the Card Czar, and whoever the Card Czar is draws a black card with a topic or question on it and reads it out loud. Then all the other players play whatever white card they think fits the best or is the funniest for the black card. After that the Card Czar shuffles and then judges the white cards and picks their favorite. The black card is awarded to the winner, and then the designation of Card Czar moves one person clockwise. There are some house rules we could play with, but those are the basics. Any questions?"

Lea shrugged at Kairi's explanation. "Sounds easy enough!" he announced as he sat on the floor. Ah yes, a group of thirteen sitting in a circle, _what wonderfully pleasant memories_. And it was a card game. He was going to have Luxord's smug face stuck in his head the whole time. (Somewhere, on The World That Never Was, a blonde man sneezed.)

Demyx had somewhat awkwardly taken his hand back and scratched behind his ear after Ienzo had pulled himself away... He had sensed he had maybe pushed a bit too far, but Demyx was still far from his usual demeanor. "Can we do like- a practice round?" It seemed like it was fairly simple, and he was pretty sure he understood how to play, but he wasn't really _completely_ sure. And he probably wasn't the only one, right? So a practice round would be a good thing. Besides, maybe Kairi would realize she forgot to explain something.

"Probably for the best," Riku finally piped up, having returned to hovering close to Sora. He wanted to believe that this would just be a friendly game, and scores really wouldn't matter... but he knew better; several of the people in the group (himself and Sora included, he reluctantly admitted) could get very... competitive, about these sort of things. Dumb bets were going to be made (oh the dumb bets he and Sora had made- the one about the paopu with Kairi wasn't even the worst of them), and with this many people someone's dignity was bound to be lost... The more he thought about it, the more he wasn't so sure playing a game was a good idea at all. Too late now... He sat on the floor where he stood, expecting Sora to sit next to him, and Kairi to sit next to either him or Sora.

Terra just quietly sat on the floor, gently pulling Ven along with him. He was pretty sure he understood- though he was still a bit distracted worrying about Ven. Naminé sat down next to Lea (she somehow took comfort in knowing he of all people wouldn't be embarrassed by the game, so she'd feel less guilty). Aeleus was the first of Team Science to take his seat. He knew Demyx was waiting for Ienzo to sit first to ensure Even wouldn't try to separate them; Demyx played the fool, but he was far from actually unintelligent. He had kept up with the Organization, after all. He was just... impulsive, and a bit distracted at times.

Roxas, of course, sat next to Lea, practically pulled down by Lea's arm around his shoulder. He didn't mind too much; most people here knew he and Lea were close, and anyone who would judge them too hard he didn't really care about the opinion of. Besides, it looked like Even was having problems of his own with Demyx and Z... _Ienzo_. Xion sat down next to Naminé and Kairi, who sat on the opposite side of Riku from Sora. Ven sat next to Terra as far away from Lea as he could. It wasn't from hard feelings or anything, but he'd rather be the one to catch any of Lea's suggestive glances than Terra, and sitting further away would mean Terra would have to look away from Lea to talk to him. It made sense he promised.

That left the impasse of Team Science. Ienzo wasn't sure where he wanted to sit; next to Aeleus and risk Even and Demyx sitting next to each other, or as far from Aeleus as possible and risk Even and Demyx sitting next to each other, or sit in the middle and be flanked by the parties clearly vying for his attention. None of the options resulted in Ienzo himself winning, but he figured the best course of action was to just sit in the middle and let the other two duke it out. Who knew, maybe it would turn into an actual fight, and that would be an amusing matchup. Mostly Ienzo just wanted his personal space back.

"All right," Kairi agreed to the practice round as Even glared at Demyx and sat so that the water elemental would have to sit between Aeleus and Ienzo. The scholar was quite proud of himself, not having realized that Ienzo's other effective parent wasn't nearly as opposed to Demyx's antics as he was. Doing her best to ignore Team Science, Kairi continued as she shuffled and dealt out cards, "I'll play Card Czar for this round since I know how to play. Everyone gets ten white cards to start, and whenever you play cards you draw back up to ten at the end of the round. Some cards want more than one card as an answer."

Everyone got ten cards to choose from in the practice round with the promise they could redraw when the real game started. Immediately some eyebrows shot up once cards were read, but no one had a chance to comment before Kairi began the round. "All right, so, when you play your white cards be sure to play them face down. I'll shuffle them so I don't know who's whose. The question you have to answer is, 'What are my parents hiding from me?'"

As Riku read each of his cards his face became gradually redder. Just... what the hell was Kairi thinking!? This was going to be mortifying! What was worse, playing with _Even and Aeleus_ was basically like playing with someone's _parents_ \- this was clearly not the kind of game you play with _parents_. If it was just a bunch of teenagers it wouldn't be quite as bad... Honestly if it had just been the three of them he probably wouldn't have been that bothered at all, but he barely knew some of these people! He slid a card down on the floor begrudgingly and gave Kairi a look that said 'I literally cannot fathom in this moment how you are a princess of heart', 'how could you possibly think this was a good idea?' and 'Why have you betrayed me in this way?'

Lea, on the other hand, was attempting to contain a fit of giggles that if actually left to escape would inevitably come out as maniacal laughter. He had to take his arm back from Roxas to be able to both hold his cards and cover his smug mouth. Oh yes, this was going to be _fun_ . He had _so much_ respect for Kairi in that moment, really, she had simply outdone herself. If this was the kind of game they were playing, then he definitely had the advantage. Looking around the only people he could really imagine actually giving him any kind of competition were Kairi (since this was her evil little scheme and all) and maybe Demyx. No offense Roxas, but you are technically only a year old... He happily slammed a card down onto the floor, and once he got his laughter fully under control again he announced, "I think I like this game already!" which at this point was information that probably surprised precisely no one.

Naminé looked around the circle and took in the various reactions to the game's true nature. All just what she had expected... She slid a card onto the floor quietly, smiling despite herself.

Terra was in a similar state as Riku, possibly more confused for knowing Kairi was a princess of heart and having not had the warning of growing up with her. He tried to pick the least offensive card he could and gave Ven a worried glance. This was... not going to end well... Maybe he should have tried harder to figure out how to manage a 13 player command board game.

Demyx was surprised, but he wasn't really that put off either. Demyx had very little concept of the idea of 'shame'. Still, playing with his cru- uuuhhh... close friend was going to be a little embarrassing... Maybe he could find a way to impress Ienzo? Didn't seem likely though... The idea that this would lower Even's opinion of him even _more_ hadn't even crossed his mind. (Because really, there was only one person whose opinion he cared about.) He had absolutely no poker face as he considered each card, smiling brightly when he settled on his winner and sliding it into the center with the others.

Aeleus was... Well, he was an adult, and it would take a lot more than this to shake him. Still, he had known Kairi when she was _5_ , so he was a bit... confused, on how to process his emotions at the moment. Stone faced as ever, he simply slid his card forward in silence.

Sora was giggling at some of his cards, the ones he understood anyway. Unlike Riku he wasn't put off by playing with the adults. Sora would take any and all challengers. He'd probably have to ask what some of these cards meant eventually, though, but he'd be getting all new ones next round anyway. Deciding on his card, the brunette confidently laid it down with the others.

In the meantime, Roxas was throwing Lea a confused and concerned glance. The chakram-wielder was _way_ too pleased with this game. Xion hadn't even hesitated in her choice, and that concerned him too. Turning back to his cards, Roxas was having roughly the same problem as Sora with not knowing what some of the cards meant. But... Well, he may as well just accept his fate and play that card... Reluctantly, Roxas played his card and was somewhat disappointed this wasn't a real round. He thought he had a decent chance of winning it.

Ven hadn't even bothered to read his cards and had just played something random. He'd figure it out by how the rest of the round progressed, he knew. Like Kairi said, it wasn't really that hard of a game to figure out. If only he knew just how... esoteric and disturbing some of these cards could get. Well, he'd find out eventually...

Surprisingly, Ienzo was also struggling with his cards. Despite his impressive vocabulary, some of the phrases were words that he knew the definitions of strung together in ways that made no sense. Maybe with the right black card their meanings would be more clear, or at least less... strange. Oh well, like Ventus he realized next round they would get all new cards, so he picked the best one he could understand and went with that. Even if this round didn't count he wanted to give it a try, after all.

And Even... was displeased. However, that seemed to be his constant state of being when he wasn't overly pleased with his most recent experiment. There was a clear lack of innocence in this game, and for good reason he worried about Ienzo's exposure to such a game. However, a heart of pure light had suggested it, and the other heart of pure light didn't seem to be fazed by the game, so perhaps he should give it more credit... Or... The sour look faded from Even's face as he considered the kind of opportunity to passively study the nature of the heart that was being presented. It was often thought that hearts of light were hearts of innocence, but that could very quickly prove to not be the case at all. How interesting, yes... With a small smirk, Even picked a card and played it, eager now to see the results.

Once all the cards were placed, Kairi picked them up and shuffled them before flipping them over and reading them off one by one. "All right, so, what are my parents hiding from me?" Kairi had to pause to snort at some of the answers. Each card had a dramatic pause before the next one was read out. "Um, incest, a salty surprise, daddy issues, mutually-assured destruction, pretending to care, multiple stab wounds, my soul, some god damn peace and quiet, masturbation, the glass ceiling, teaching a robot to love, and... puppies!"

The mix of reactions Kairi received from the players made every second of this game worth it, even if it didn't wind up continuing. The red-head hummed as she considered her options and began flipping cards back around that definitively didn't win. The glass ceiling went first, but the rest were hard to pick between... For a practice round, everyone really seemed to have the hang of it already. "As great as all these answers are, I think I have to go with Daddy Issues," she finally decided, and somehow wasn't surprised even a little when Sora whooped his victory. "If this was a real round Sora would get the black card as a symbol of his Awesome Point, and then Riku would be the Czar for the next round. Everyone got it?"

Terra was returning his cards to Kairi and resisting the urge to hide his face in his hands. He turned to Ven and asked quietly, "...Are you sure you're up for this?" He didn't want to be rude, and he - personally - wasn't _that_ bothered by the nature of the game, just a bit embarrassed. But Ven was...  If Ven was uncomfortable he'd leave in a second. Really, he was half considering just telling Ven he wasn't allowed to play at all.

Ven blinked at Terra, slightly confused. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" he asked, none of the cards having particularly shocked or concerned him. There were a few he didn't understand, and honestly he would've chosen puppies as the winner, but he had to admit Daddy Issues for a parent-related card fit pretty good.

"Uh..." was Terra's intelligent response. He had no way of knowing Ven had simply missed getting anything alarming- or anything alarming that he knew what it was. He made the mistake of assuming Ven would know just enough to actually ascertain the game's true nature. Was he overreacting? He was probably overreacting... Ven seemed fine, and didn't look like he wanted to leave anytime soon, so he guessed they were going to be playing then... "...Don't know- just checking."

Riku both wanted, and did not want, to know who played what. Sora had won the first round with 'daddy issues' and he just... The betrayal was coming from both sides now. He hadn't expected this from _Sora_. Had he really changed that much in two years? He had spent half that time in a coma though... No, Riku was probably the one who had changed. It was entirely possible he just never really noticed this side of Sora before and was more sensitive to it now that he was more reserved... "Yeah, I think we got it Kairi..." Riku tried his best to keep the disappointment out of his voice, after all, the majority seemed to be having fun...

Lea grinned "Yup! ready for the real thing! Also, excellent game choice, I must say." Lea was having a little too much fun. He tossed his hand back to Kairi so she could redeal everything. He glanced over at Roxas; he had a bit of an evil plan forming, but he wasn't sure if now was quite the time to implement it... Then again he should probably move before the game actually started, lest his friend try to insist rounds before the wager was made don't count or try to null it altogether or other just accuse them of cheating in general. He leaned close to Roxas, speaking quietly into his ear and covering his mouth with his hand to prevent lips from being read. "Hey, Roxas, you said if you win I have to buy you ice cream. Fine. But if _I_ win... let's say... you have to give me... a kiss?"

Roxas leaned away from Lea and gave him a confused, somewhat distraught look. "What's up with you today?" he whispered back, a soft blush staining his cheeks. Seriously, first Lea'd harassed Ven, now him too? Maybe the red-head just enjoyed tormenting blondes. Who was next, Naminé? More likely Demyx, or Even, with how preoccupied they were with Ienzo's attention. But... Well, it wasn't that Roxas was _that_ opposed to the idea of kissing Lea, he just... wasn't sure he wanted it to be because he lost a game. Either way, while he hadn't agreed to the terms, he hadn't actually _disagreed_ to them either.

Lea's smirk slowly shrank as he failed to get the reaction he had expected from Roxas. He suddenly became self conscious- afraid that he'd crossed some line even though he had been pretty sure he hadn't misread anything... Roxas had been jealous, right? Shameless flirting was just the natural progression of things, right? Right??? "Nothing. I uh-" He looked away and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "You know what? Nevermind. Just forget about it."

Roxas was... confused at Lea's response. He'd expected continued teasing, but the flame wielder looked honestly dejected. Lea had... really been flirting with him, hadn't he? Well... then... Blushing just a shade darker and turning to carefully examine (aka hide behind) his hand of cards, Roxas softly reminded his friend, "...I didn't say no..."

Xion, in the meantime, had taken to talking to Naminé. "So, which card was yours, Naminé?" she asked, already enjoying this game. She still didn't actually understand her own card, even if she thought she did. Boy was she in for a shock if and when she ever found out what she'd actually played.

Naminé blinked up at Xion when she was addressed and smiled. She somehow was surprised by the other girl reaching out to her... Then again maybe it made sense? The memory witch and the girl made of memories, they were an odd pair. "Pretending to care. Which one was yours?"

"A salty surprise," Xion announced proudly, still not having any idea that didn't mean what she thought it meant. She paged through her hand looking for a good card to play, but nothing seemed to fit quite the way she wanted it to. Some weren't bad, but they weren't really funny like a lot of the answers last round had been. Well, she'd just play something and hope for the best, and maybe get a better card next round.

Lea looked back at Roxas, surprised when he spoke. His face grew into a satisfied smile when he noticed Roxas not only blushing, but poorly attempting to hide it with his cards. Ah yes, that was more like it. He opened his mouth to say something witty, but was interrupted by Xion's announcement. His head whipped around to face her, and all thoughts of smooth talking Roxas were replaced with trying to figure out how to best explain this to her... "Uh, Xion..." he began awkwardly. "I don't think that means what you think that means."

And that summed up the next few hours fairly nicely. Over the course of play there were several unfortunate incidents of Ven asking what something meant (and Terra silently threatening to bury alive anyone who tried to tell him), Sora and Riku starting another one of their teenage testosterone induced bets (that definitely wasn't flirting with each other, no homo bro), Ienzo using his illusions to shamelessly hide that he didn't know as many 'adult things' as one might expect and cheat (and somehow successfully making Riku laugh at the card 'darkness'), and the… 99 Problems Incident.

In which, Terra's turn to be Czar presented him with the ever popular 'I've got 99 problems but a ___ ain't one' card. And Lea, being Lea, played the physical manifestation of 'too soon' in the form of 'Advice from a wise old black man'. Needless to say the pyromancer was reminded of Terra's relation to much scarier individuals (i.e. Xemnas) very quickly.

Namine also managed to passive aggressively warn several of the other players of impending 'sweet, sweet revenge', but really that only affected Lea and Even, and after the 99 Problems Incident, it was fairly warranted.

It seemed despite the initial awkwardness and panic, Kairi's evil plan to break the ice with the mother of all party games had gone fairly flawlessly. When food was announced to be ready soon they took a bit of a break, everyone much happier and cross clique communication much easier (even if people did somewhat retreat to their earlier corners, but they had just been traumatized, so it was fair.)

Unfortunately the heroes of light just weren't allowed to have nice things.

"A party and no one thought to invite me? How gauche," came an unsettlingly familiar voice from the doorway. Leaning elegantly against the doorframe was Marluxia, dressed in pink finery covered in flower embroidery and yet somehow still looking extremely intimidating. A familiar smirk played across his face and a single rose was pressed lightly to his lips.


	3. Trying to Explain Xehanort to People who Weren't There for That

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marluxia (or his somebody, presumably) arrives to crash the party. He received mixed reviews.
> 
> No one is really good at explaining the whole 13 Xehanort's thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I promised 3 times a week, super sorry I skimped this week. Been sick and had the car break down >.< Hopefully things will return to normal scheduling for next week! Even if it's just reformatting it does take a surprising amount of time an attention >>

All heads turned to the intruder. Riku glared. It had taken him a moment, but he placed the scent rather quickly; this was the man who had been in charge of Castle Oblivion, the one who had forced Naminé to wreck Sora's memories. "You...!" It took a considerable amount of self-restraint not to immediately summon Way to the Dawn.

Lea raised an eyebrow, but chose not to comment. This was probably going to be a messy situation, especially with Even there, so it was best if he just... quietly sat this one out. He didn't have anything against Marluxia really; there were worse people to be stuck working with in the Organization (Vexen, Xigbar) and all things considered they had gotten along fairly well... He'd been planning to stab him in the back the whole time sure, but it was nothing personal. Personally he rested the blame for what had happened to Sora there on the Organization as a whole and not solely on the man before him- but he knew many of the others had a hard time seeing outside of black and white and ultimately Marluxia and Xemnas would be the scapegoats to foster the forgiveness of the other members.

Naminé's first reaction was fear; she clung closer to Ven since he was the nearest body. But she soon found her resolve and glared fiercely at Marluxia. More than any of the others she had blamed him for what happened. Axel had even let her go in the end after all. If she had a weapon, she would have brandished it at him.

Ven held Naminé closer to him and glared at the newcomer. He didn't know who the new guy was, but Naminé didn't seem to like him, and neither did Even. Actually, the only person in the room who seemed to actually not mind his appearance was Demyx, but he wasn't sure how much he trusted Demyx to be a good judge of character. Well, then again, he had won Cards Against Humanity... Though, that didn't actually make him feel any better about the current situation.

Demyx looked up in confusion, not really reading the tense air. He didn't know what exactly went down in Castle Oblivion, so he didn't really have a reason to think there was anything wrong. "Hey Marluxia!" he greeted cheerily.

Moments before Marluxia's entrance, Ienzo's eyes widened as a familiar smell reached his nose, and it wasn't from anyone at the party. "Vex-" he started calling across the room, but it was too late. Marluxia was already there. Ienzo sunk back against the wall and had to suppress a groan as Demyx called the scythe-wielder's attention towards them. He would've rather gone unnoticed... He didn't  _ personally _ hold that much against Marluxia, but Vexen had died at his behest, and, well... Mostly he didn't look forward to the impending duel between Even and Marluxia. Hopefully he wouldn't need to intervene, he hated getting involved...

Aeleus crossed his arms and frowned, eyes flitting between Even and Marluxia. This did not bode well, Even was already in a foul mood (not that that was uncommon) and was likely to do something rash... "How did you find us?" he said to the point.

Marluxia flicked some of his hair, a few petals falling to the ground from seemingly nowhere. "I have my ways," he said ominously. Really it hadn't been hard at all - he knew they were from Radiant Garden, once he got there it had just been a simple matter of asking around - and a lovely girl selling flowers had happily given him the directions he needed.

Every hair on Even's body stood on end, practically bristling like a cat. It was  _ him _ . Turning to face his nemesis, Even sent the iciest glare he could muster Marluxia's way. Not even Demyx or Lea had gained that level of ire from the scholar. "No one invited you because nobody wants you here," Even announced angrily, the air around him turning frigid. The slightest taunt from Marluxia and he would summon his shield without question, that much was certain. He had to deal with enough nonsense with Demyx, he had  _ zero _ patience for dealing with Marluxia right now. Though it would be quite therapeutic to beat his head into the ground.

Terra broke away from Aqua, confused at what was going on, half the people seemed to be treating this man as an enemy, while half as an old acquaintance... He didn't know if he should be on guard or not...

Xion didn't really know who Marluxia was either, since like Team Science he'd left before she'd really been around. But like Ven, Naminé's distress sent up a red flag, and she subtly took a few steps to more effectively be a shield between her and... Marluxia? She'd heard the name before, but didn't remember any stories.

Roxas looked up at Lea, silently asking for answers. Who was this guy and why were so many people treating him like he was Xemnas or something? He remembered the stories, of 'Marluxia' being one of the members lost in the raid on Castle Oblivion, but he never had been able to get many details about the situation. Whatever had happened, it looked like something bad had gone down between Even and Marluxia... Well, more accurately Vexen and Marluxia, he supposed...

Sora jumped when someone new appeared, and if he didn't have a plate piled high with food he would've instinctively summoned his keyblade. He had a... really bad feeling when he looked at that guy. A strange anger that he couldn't explain bubbled up inside him, and as the only way he could figure out to cope with it he pulled his food closer to him, as though that would actually solve anything. Like many people in the room who didn't understand the situation he glared at Marluxia, waiting to see what would happen. Kairi, for her part, took a step back and behind Riku, also getting a bad feeling but unsure why.

Dilan looked between Even and Marluxia, then to Aeleus as the stalwart man spoke. He held a hand to his side and prepared to summon one of his lances if necessary. For now, he wouldn't be the one to spring the mouse trap's tension and set off a chain reaction of battle. Aqua, meanwhile, looked to Terra for guidance, wondering if he knew anything more than she did. Like the rest of the Wayfinder Trio, she'd never met the pink-haired man. The reactions from the rest of the group didn't fill her with confidence, however...

Marluxia continued to smirk. "That's no way to treat a comrade, Vexen." He pushed off the frame, standing straight and facing the group properly. He was undeterred and unsurprised by the hostility he was being faced with. "Relax, I come in peace- we have a common enemy, I simply wanted to contribute to the cause."

"That might be true," Riku began, instinctively stepping in front of both Sora and Kairi, "but that doesn't change what you did."

"I thought you of all people would be the advocate of second chances, Riku," Marluxia shot back without missing a beat. Riku's eyes widened then he looked down at the floor. There was nothing he could say to that.

Marluxia's gaze then turned to Naminé. He approached her, and her instinct was to back away, but she made herself stand tall. She took a step away from Ven and Xion, who reluctantly gave her space, determined to stand up for herself. Much to her surprise, he leaned down to her level and handed her the flower. "A token of my apologies, Naminé." He didn't really mean it, but in order to accomplish anything he would have to win the group's good graces and obviously wasn't above putting on an act to get what he wanted; he'd done it before after all.

Naminé forced the shock from her face and reformed it back into a glare. "I don't trust you."

Marluxia smiled, he appreciated the backbone she'd apparently grown. "I don't expect you to; I don't even expect forgiveness, merely cooperation until we can defeat Xemnas." He was, admittedly, a little behind on what was going on; one of the reasons he knew attempting anything on his own was foolish. He'd wanted the man dead since he had joined the Organization, however, and... Well, he had woken up a whole person again in Traverse Town, and didn't really have anywhere else to go... But that wasn't going to be shared unless absolutely necessary.

Lea finally decided to pipe up, thinking it would probably be best to diffuse the situation now and he was probably the only one there capable of doing it. He trusted Marluxia about as far as he could throw him, sure, but if he was going through this much trouble to help the cause he didn't really see the point in turning him away. They would just have to keep an eye on him. "Well, well Marluxia- turning over a new leaf? That's certainly a surprise." He knew Roxas was looking to him for answers, but right now he wasn't really in a position to give them; besides the fact that bringing up the past would reopen old wounds, he literally couldn't say anything in front of Sora...

"I don't know if I would go that far..." he said honestly; even he was beyond capable of convincing this group he was trying to become a genuinely good person. "The only enmity I hold is against Xemnas- I have no quarrel with anyone here."

" _ Really, _ " Lea deadpanned, giving him a look that said, 'Sora and I were the ones who killed you bullshit you're not mad about it.'

Marluxia smirked. "I found your betrayal to be quite the inspiring performance- I'm impressed, honestly. Besides, I don't believe I am the only one here to have fallen by your hand, Axel." And with that he looked pointedly at Vexen.

"Why you-" Even began, about to summon his shield before Dilan caught his arm. He looked back at the castle guard who just shook his head. Regretfully, Even toned his anger down a little and dropped his arm, but he was still ready to snap at a moment's notice, like a frozen lake threatening to give under someone's weight. Even's glower never wavered or strayed from their newcomer. If there was anyone in all the worlds he despised, it was Marluxia, common goal be darned. At least he didn't take the bait in regards to Lea. Thankfully Marluxia didn't know Ienzo had also been felled by the flame wielder's designs.

Finally, Terra had had enough. "Can someone please explain what's going on?" he asked, interrupting the confusing banter alluding to who apparently killed who. He had, frankly, been screwed over too many times by simply not understanding the full situation, and wanted clarification before anyone asked him to turn his keyblade on a stranger- no matter how obviously suspicious that stranger may be.

"Yeah, Riku, who is this guy?" Sora asked, subtly trying to finish his food during all the conversation. What, the food was delicious, and it would be a waste if it wound up getting spilled because a fight broke out. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife, and it seemed like half of the room didn't even know who this guy was... Was he really that bad news? Seemed like the grudge match of the century was about to go down between Pinky and Even...

Marluxia looked curiously at Sora when he asked who he was. But it didn't take long for him to start putting the pieces back together. He glanced back at Naminé. So, she had managed to put his heart back together, but the cost was his experiences in the castle. No doubt the boy was in a surprisingly fragile state... If he was right, he had just gained a hostage of sorts- able to threaten destabilizing the boy by telling him of the past he forgot.

"He's..." Riku began, but was finding difficult to explain what had happened while still omitting the part Sora had to play.

Marluxia interrupted him before he had the chance. "How rude of me; new faces and I have yet to introduce myself. My name is Marluxia, a former member of the Organization. I had been left in charge of an expedition to Castle Oblivion. By extension Naminé had been left in my care and we used her powers for the... usual seedy business. Myself and Larxene were planning on overthrowing Xemnas from the start, but our plans were foiled when Axel played to our side and then ultimately betrayed us. It was quite the bloodbath, you see." He paused, trying to be sure he hadn't missed anything. "...I believe that's everything."

Riku eyed him suspiciously. He had explained everything without involving Sora, and even seemed to be playing along as though they hadn't met. Which didn't make sense; he shouldn't have had a way to know about the state of Sora's memories... but judging from the look he'd thrown Naminé, he must have just... figured it out. Riku didn't like it, it felt like Sora was in danger this way... "...Yeah, that's about it. I was in the basement of the castle the whole time, so we didn't actually meet before you died, but... I still knew what was happening topside." He didn't say exactly what that was and was happy to let Sora simply assume he was referring to the mistreatment of Naminé.

"Wow, way to sugarcoat it, guys," Lea said sarcastically. Having been the only survivor he could certainly attest that it had, in fact, been a bloodbath. "I'm not even remotely sorry for stabbing you in the back, by the way."

Marluxia smirked. "I'd be more disappointed if you were."

Terra tried to process the sudden flood of information. The way this guy had just... said everything he'd done without batting an eye... It was unnerving. He was hard to read and he didn't like it. At least he understood now why everyone - especially Naminé - seemed to hold some sort of hostility towards him, but... Well, Marluxia seemed like he was here to do the right thing for the wrong reasons, and he didn't really know how to handle that. In the end he was still confused...

Something still felt wrong about this to Aqua, but... Well, to her understanding a lot of people in this room had once been effectively mortal enemies, even somehow killed by one another. But for the purposes of furthering their common goal, they'd pushed those past injustices aside to work together as a team. With that understanding, Aqua was first to let her guard down, relaxing her shoulders and falling into a more easy stance. Despite the mistrust in the room, perhaps this man did deserve a second chance...

Demyx listened to the story of what had actually happened at Castle Oblivion intently. Well, that certainly explained why everyone was so mad at him... well besides Even, who was mad at everything all the time and had always been extra mad at Marluxia long before they'd been sent off to work together. "Sooo..." he said awkwardly. "We're all cool now...?" he asked very tentatively, knowing the answer was realistically a resounding 'no' but asking straightforward might make people at least put up with pretending it was 'yes'.

Sora still had a bad feeling about this guy, but he couldn't remember ever meeting him. It was like a memory was skirting the edges of his mind, but he just couldn't recall it. Well, if he couldn't remember it, it couldn't be that important, right? Besides, he'd already tried to apologize to Naminé. That wound would probably take more than a rose to heal, but at least the guy was trying, right? "Hey, any enemy of Xehanort's a friend of mine," Sora finally said, usual goofy grin adorning his face. "Besides, I think we'll need all the help we can get."

Roxas watched Lea closely, taking in the information of what had happened at Castle Oblivion. So  _ that's _ why Axel had disappeared for so long... Well, that certainly solved whether or not he'd gone to see some girl rather than come back to the Organization. He wondered if Xemnas knew what Axel did in that castle... Who knew. Roxas kept his guard up, but not as high as it had been a few moments ago. There was still something they were avoiding talking about, and it was bothering him to not know what it was.

Obviously, not everyone in the room was quite so forgiving as Sora. Even ripped his arm away from Dilan's grasp, angrily warning, "If you decide to trust him, you do so at your own peril!" After that the blonde scientist stormed away, attempting to remove himself from the situation before he wound up putting his shield through someone's face. Maybe he'd go down to the labs and work on some kind of poison or something. Or some other way to make Marluxia's life absolutely miserable.

"There he goes..." Ienzo mumbled, sighing softly in resignation as he took another bite of his cake. The labs would be a mess tomorrow, like they always were when Even started a project out of anger. It also meant he couldn't personally retreat there later on... Oh well, there was always the library, or practicing his illusion magic. Or more cake. More cake sounded like a good enough plan for now, so until the situation devolved into legitimate chaos he would remain.

Xion looked around to the others, trying to determine what the group consensus was. Meeting her gaze with Ven's, it was obvious the two of them were only on edge because everyone else - especially Naminé - was tense. Some had seemed to ease up a little, Demyx had never seemed bothered, and Even... was on his way out the door. She could hardly blame the guy; there seemed to be some really bad blood between the two of them. But... Marluxia wouldn't have risked coming here knowing how everyone felt about him if he didn't either desperately need help himself or just legitimately wanted to further the cause... But, she was smart enough to know that Marluxia was even smarter, and this could all be a ploy to tear them apart from the inside. For now she'd keep her mouth shut and wait to see what happened.

Kairi was more on Sora's side than a lot of people were. She knew Riku had trouble seeing past the bad in people, but... Something just told her this Marluxia really wanted to help them defeat Xehanort, and by extension Xemnas. Maybe it was because of a personal grudge, but she had faith he'd really try to help them. Besides, as long as they were the main force against Xemnas, it was unlikely he'd turn on them... she hoped. Who knew, maybe enough time around this much light would help Marluxia see past the darkness. Maybe not, but it was worth a try, right? If not she could always shank him with her keyblade. Like Sora and Aqua, Kairi too dropped her guard and relaxed.

Riku didn't like it at all, but Marluxia's words had cut deep and he found himself unable to really do anything or fear risking hypocrisy. Still, he wasn't about to trust the guy, but they could admittedly use all the help they could get... He forced himself to relax, but still kept himself between Sora and the pink haired man.

Marluxia grabbed Even by the wrist as he passed him, stopping him from going further. "Now Vexen," he purred, "I thought we were friends? Truly, the days without you have been longer..." It was true; he had missed Vexen... well, he had missed tormenting him, but it was still missing him. "And yet, you would forgive Axel and not me?" Well, it would be in no way surprising if Vexen knew that he had been just as responsible for his death as Axel at this point, but he felt the point still remained.

Aeleus prepared himself for the worst. With Marluxia actively pushing Even's buttons, a fight was probably inevitable. Still, if he interfered now Even might accuse him of not thinking he could stand up for himself... There was no winning.

Lea, meanwhile, grinned like the tool he was and held Roxas close, secretly wishing he had popcorn to help enjoy the show. Naminé was just glad his attention didn't seem to be on her anymore... though she did feel sorry for Even. Terra was still confused but followed Aqua's lead and let his guard down. Demyx still didn't get what the big deal was.

 

Roxas raised a disbelieving eyebrow at Lea, worried but not surprised by the taller man's amusement at the situation. It sounded like Lea himself had caused half of this argument, so he wasn't sure he had a right to be enjoying it like he was... Honestly, if Even didn't calm down they might wind up with an ice skating rink instead of a party room. Sora would probably think that was fun.

Even whirled to face Marluxia as the man grabbed hold of his wrist, the temperature around him dropping a few degrees. "My name is  _ Even _ ," he spat, wrenching his wrist from Marluxia's grip and summoning his shield in the same moment. "We have  _ never _ been friends, and who said I've forgiven Lea?" It was true, Even had never considered himself a friend to the pink-haired man, and hardly considered him an ally. Xemnas' orders were pretty much the only reason he'd even marginally put up with him. Truthfully, he actually had forgiven Lea, but only for his own death. He was far from trusting Lea still. If either of them even  _ looked _ wrong at Ienzo he'd-

"Let it go, Vexen," came Ienzo's voice from the wall. Even jumped at the unexpected interruption, turning his attention to the youngest scientist. Let it go? He'd been killed by Axel's hands at Marluxia's request, how could he just- The look on Ienzo's face said more than his words. 'Play nice,' it said. As though the boy already had a plan. With a growl, Even looked away and dismissed his shield, though he was still ready to resummon it at a moment's notice. Belatedly realizing that Ienzo might just want him to play nice so they wouldn't wind up ruining what was left of the cake, Even regretted that he hadn't reprimanded his protégé about the name thing, too.

 

"You wound me..." Marluxia said, smirk growing in size. He dramatically placed a hand over his now beating heart. "...Even." The name was foreign on his tongue; he had heard the original names of some of their members before, but he had never been bothered with remembering them. It had seemed like a waste of effort at the time. He hadn't missed that Zexion - or whatever he went by now - had called out 'Vexen' and gone unreprimanded for it... but he'd let that alone for now. If he pushed Even too far he would try to leave again, he had to keep the delicate balance of filling him to the brim with rage without it boiling over... Well, it seemed he'd done enough to convince the man to stay, so perhaps for now it was time to get back to business.

Kairi, sensing the inevitability of battle now that a weapon had been drawn - dismissed nearly immediately, but drawn all the same - carefully went over to where the Cards Against Humanity game still laid sprawled out on the floor and began packing it away. They wouldn't be playing that any more tonight. Even if they could convince Marluxia to play with them, too many physical fights would break out over the cards. They'd only just barely managed to avoid some the first time... She offered Xion a smile when the other girl came to help. Ven could take care of Naminé for the time being, since Marluxia was preoccupied with Even.

Around the room some of the tension started to drain out of people, though others like Dilan were keeping themselves at the ready to break up any actual fight that broke out between Marluxia and Even. Honestly, Dilan was surprised Ienzo's short comment had actually worked. Not much could calm Even's ire, especially towards the scythe-wielder. This was a dangerous game they were playing, but to a degree, he agreed with Sora that they could use all the help they could get. It simply remained to be seen whether Even would be able to put his hatred aside to work towards a common goal with Marluxia the way he'd done with Lea.

"By the way," Marluxia turned his attention back to Sora, who had been the one to prompt the question. He had no way of knowing the effects his seemingly innocent curiosity would to have. "...Who is 'Xehanort'?"

Immediately, Lea began cackling. Marluxia forced an annoyed smile to stay on his face. Really, Lea thought, Marluxia had probably just helped his cause a great deal by putting himself in the vulnerable position of not knowing jack shit; he had probably not intended to do so, but in the end it might work in his favor.

"Xemnas is Xehanort," Lea provided. Marluxia was a bit confused; that made perfect sense, it was apparently his Somebody's name, so what exactly had been so funny? And then Lea let go of Roxas in favor of approaching Marluxia and giving him a 'friendly' pat on the back and continued. "Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, Xehanort's heartless, is also Xehanort. Xigbar and Saix are both half Xehanort. Terra used to be Xehanort..." He pointed at the boy so Marluxia would know who he was talking about, then moved his finger to Sora. "And Sora was almost Xehanort... Also, pretty sure kid Xehanort from 60 years ago is still going to be a problem... and then there's the old man, who is the Xehanort who is in fact actually Xehanort."

"...Beg your pardon?" Marluxia's composure had been frayed enough that he actually frowned.

Riku's head had found its way into his hand's at Lea's purposefully confusing non-explanation. Hell, half the people in the room who actually knew what was going on would probably have trouble following that. "Basically, Xemnas is - has been - working for Xehanort," he tried to clarify, putting things into a perspective he thought Marluxia would understand.

"I see..." That had actually made sense. Marluxia looked back at Lea to urge him to explain himself - Riku's interjection had answered one of maybe 50 questions - but he seriously doubted he was getting a straight answer anytime soon...

"There is thirteen of him," Lea offered, again saying something with no context. "...Are thirteen of him?" He paused, questioning the grammar of the unusual circumstance. After a moment he shook his head. "Anyway-"

"He's got thirteen dudes and he's gonna like, make thirteen of himself by possessing all of them or something. But some of them are him from other times... Oh yeah! There's time travel now- like- more than Luxord's, it's so confusing, man." Demyx interjected before Lea could make things any more confusing. Not that his explanation was particularly elegant but…

 

Xion paused in cleaning the game up to watch the discussion about Xehanort. "That whole thing always makes my head hurt..." she mumbled before returning to the game. Thirteen Xehanorts... And at least four Soras. More like four and a half, as far as she knew. Heck, maybe there were more still locked away in that heart of his, who knew. Anyway, at least it seemed more and more like Marluxia really was here to help, because really, thirteen Xehanorts was a lot for one person to take on on their own.

Marluxia nodded at the blonde's explanation. It was... not eloquent, but it got the point across in a way that was actually decipherable (unlike some people). He brought a hand to his chin as he contemplated the new information. "Thirteen..."

"I can promise you it's exactly what you're thinking," Lea said more helpfully this time. He finally pulled away from hovering over Marluxia.

"So we were to be sacrificial lambs..." Marluxia frowned. He had always disliked Xemnas. "...Well, it seems you'll be needing my help more than I thought," he said, the smirk returning to his face. Fighting thirteen of Xemnas was certainly nothing to sneeze at, that was certain. But he looked on the bright side; in a way, it just meant he could enjoy revenge thirteen times.

Sora chuckled guiltily, scratching the back of his head with one hand. "I don't think I could've explained it better myself," he admitted, taking another bite of food afterwards. It looked like it had at least been settled that Marluxia would probably be staying, and he really did mean it when he said they could use all the help they could get. If it'd just been him - heck, if it'd just been him and Riku - he wouldn't have made it out of the Realm of Sleep. Next time they had to be prepared...

The moment 'beg your pardon' left Marluxia's lips, Even's expression morphed to one of almost sadistic glee. "You offer to help, yet have no understanding of the situation at hand?" he taunted, head held high as he basked in the glory of this revelation. "How imprudent of you. Perhaps it is  _ you _ who are in desperate need of  _ our _ help." Oh, for just that moment Even was on cloud nine. It was so rare that Marluxia showed any sign of weakness. Therefore, it would be remiss of him to not take full advantage of this opportunity.

Aqua frowned, not glad of the reminder of how many Xehanorts they were going to have to defeat. "We really could use the help, though..." she mused, even if she was unsure if Marluxia could actually be trusted. If he was actually a trap, a spy sent by Xehanort... No, his hatred for the man named Xemnas felt real. And Sora seemed at ease now... This was all a strange situation, but she wasn't about to push away the offer of more help. However, Aqua subconsciously took a step closer to Terra at the mention of him being a former Xehanort, as if to protect him from their newcomer.

 

Terra inched closer to Aqua as well, reach out and taking her hand as much for his sake as her own. A reminder of the past and of things to come... It wasn't pleasant, but the reason they were all here was to put things right again, even if tonight had originally be intended to forget about those things.

 

Ven frowned at the reminder of what happened to Terra, and at the reminder of Old Man Xehanort as well. Those were dark times, and... Really, if there wasn't still so much tension in the room he'd go hug Terra right there. Maybe he'd do it anyway, but... Well, he wasn't sure if he trusted Marluxia enough to not be mean or take advantage of their relationship somehow. It was probably an irrational fear, but, well... Everyone had reacted really negatively to Marluxia's appearance at first. He'd been burned enough that he'd learned to be cautious, despite his desire to see the best in everyone… 

Roxas crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at Lea. "How does being half-Xehanort even work, anyway?" he asked, though he immediately regretted the words. He was probably gonna get a weird vague half-explanation now... It would probably be better if he just asked Ienzo later or something. At least that guy was patient and tried to explain things again in easier words if you didn't understand the first time...

Lea blinked down at Roxas and gave him an answer he probably wasn't expecting. "Beats me." He shrugged; he didn't really get how it worked either, and honestly he doubted anyone here really did, even the 'smart ones'. Terra might, from personal experience, but he wasn't about to ask the guy; he did have  _ some _ tact.

Marluxia glared at Even, but it was brief, the condescending mask reforming carefully over his features. "You say that as if you already have all the answers, Even. Surely you've flocked here because you yourself were in need of assistance..." He took a step closer to him, gingerly lifting a strand of the taller man's hair between his fingers and twiddling with it idly. "...You have always had to rely on the help of children, after all." Really, Marluxia honestly believed Even would be useless without Zexion- or whatever he was called now, though he supposed realistically they both worked best together. Calling over half the room children might lose him some of the points he'd managed to gain, but he decided it was an easy price to put Even back in his place.

"Marluxia!" Lea exclaimed in mock scandal. "Stop molesting Even, there are  _ children _ ," he said, mocking both what the man was doing and what he had said all in one fell swoop.

Marluxia didn't seemed to mind though, he knew Axel's - Lea's he corrected - words would cut Even much deeper than himself. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed the pyro until now, he was certainly an entertaining one to have around. "You're right, how thoughtless of me." He dropped Even's hair, playing along and neither denying nor confirming the insinuations Lea was making about his behavior because in the end he knew not knowing is what would torment Even the most.

Simultaneously, Aeleus and Riku sighed. Just when things had seemed to be settling down... Now there was no way a fight wasn't going to break out. Aeleus got ready to restrain Even. Naminé shook her head; she had had quite enough of this in Castle Oblivion, forced to sit there quietly while the others bickered incessantly around her. It was tiring..

Even's eyes widened and he jerked back as Marluxia took hold of his hair. The action and resulting accusations left him effectively stunned, fumbling for words to counter his nemesis and Marluxia's accomplice. A soft flush formed on his cheeks, though whether it was from embarrassment or anger was unclear. "Tch... For your information, I  _ live _ here...!" he shouted back, that being the only counter he could come up with. The air around him had grown cold again and Even was shaking as his rage threatened to spill over. The nerve of him,  _ touching _ him like that...! He should...

Ienzo standing against the far wall caught Even's attention. "I propose a vote," the illusionist said, staring uninterestedly at the scene that continued to play out before him. "Marluxia has made his offer. Everyone here has now had sufficient time to know their feelings on whether he should go or stay. My suggestion is that the majority vote decide Marluxia's fate as to whether he will be allowed to remain in Hollow Bastion." Ienzo had to hold back a sigh as he finished his suggestion; he really did hate getting involved. But unless the vote ended with Marluxia- No, this was going to devolve into a physical fight no matter what now. Either Even would try to toss Marluxia out himself, and there was no way the man would go without a fight, or Marluxia would get the vote to stay and taunt Even, which would also end in a fight. But at least they could get Marluxia's fate settled and he could figure out if he needed to set up two hospital beds or one when he inevitably fled the vicinity.

"I say he  _ goes _ ," Even responded immediately, glaring darkly at the pink-haired man. He'd be more willing to let Demyx molest Ienzo than let that awful man stay for one more moment in the castle he'd effectively claimed as his own. The beginnings of his shield were already forming on his arm again.

Ven looked to Aqua and Terra, looking to see if either of them would actually vote. He wasn't sure he wanted to just then, because, well... He was still a little unsure on the matter. Probably he'd vote the same way as either Naminé or Terra... Xion also seemed to be of the opinion that 'whatever Naminé voted' was going to be her vote too. Both were sure Ienzo would be the last to throw his vote into the hat.

Aqua looked back at Ven, then to Terra. Terra would be the one who knew the most amongst the three of them, she assumed... She still wasn't sure how much her friend remembered about his time being controlled by Xehanort, but objectively he'd still had the most experience with these people. Her instinct was to give the rose-haired man a chance but with the way he kept fighting with Even... This would be a tenuous partnership at best, an abusive one at worst. Could they really afford to not be able to work together because of petty rivalries...?

Ignoring Lea's comment about children, Sora threw his vote into the ring. "Aw, chill out, Even. I think we should give him a chance," he said, grinning to himself at his ice joke. He didn't flinch as Even's glare shifted to him for daring to say a word in Marluxia's favor. Really, though, Sora was king of giving second chances to people, at least people he realized were in fact people. If he gave Marluxia a chance, maybe it would make Riku feel better about himself and stop frowning...

Roxas sighed and shook his head at Lea, judging the man for making this situation worse on purpose. He still thought this was a bad idea, and he'd stick by that, but... Well, admittedly a small part of him wanted to give the guy a chance. But the rest wanted him away from Naminé for whatever Marluxia had done to her. He looked around to judge what the room looked like it might vote, and besides himself Kairi, Xion, and Ven all seemed to be waiting for someone else to side with in regards to their vote. No wonder Ienzo hadn't listed the option to abstain, if half the people would refuse to voice an opinion... And then there were people like Dilan and Aeleus who looked less concerned with the vote and more concerned with physically restraining Even in the near future. Well... To be honest, he was also a little sad Lea didn't have popcorn.

"Well, I for one, agree with Sora. Let's not bicker and argue over who killed who," Lea said. He was quite happy to have Marluxia back, he found. Had they always gotten along this well? They were both terrible backstabbing bastards, it made sense.

Demyx spoke up as well. "I don't have a problem with Marluxia..." he pouted. He didn't get the big deal; Lea was right, basically everyone here had killed someone else here, so there wasn't any point it throwing a fit about it... This was just Even's personal feelings getting blown out of proportion.

Riku crossed his arms and sighed. Well, on the one hand, he didn't want to disagree with Sora, but on the other, it was sort of his job to be the voice of reason... Marluxia was openly antagonizing Even, but it was only Even, everyone else he'd spoken to had been with politeness and humility. Then again, having Marluxia around would put Sora at risk... but would it be even more dangerous if they let him off on his own? Maybe it was better to keep him close and keep an eye on him. "...As much as I hate to admit it, we can't afford to turn away allies right now..." He glared at Marluxia. "But that doesn't mean I trust you. At all."

"Noted," Marluxia said, once again unfazed by the harsh treatment.

Riku's gaze softened as it turned to Naminé. "Sorry, Naminé..." He really meant it, she shouldn't have to put up with a man like him...

"It's alright..." Naminé said from the other side of the room. She wanted to just send Marluxia away, but... was that the right thing to do? "I..." she began, but didn't know what to say.

"Speak your mind, Naminé. You have a heart now, use it," Marluxia said, confident at this point that even without Naminé's support he would win the majority.

She frowned, looking up and glaring at Marluxia. "I don't want him to stay."

Xion frowned as Naminé voiced her opinion on the matter. "If Naminé doesn't want him here, I don't either," she said, feeling better about taking Naminé's side than Lea's. Besides, she was pretty sure Lea was only voting to keep Marluxia around because he annoyed Even. So far the group was heavily in favor of Marluxia staying, and Naminé needed  _ someone _ in her corner...

Terra looked to the ground, sensing his friends were looking to him for answers. He did technically remember some of the time he spent as Xemnas, but it was all so hazy, and the memories didn't feel like they really belonged to him. He tried to recall something - anything about the man before him, but the best he got was blurry images and muddled voices. "Maybe... we should give him a second chance..." In the end, Terra had a tendency to default in seeing the good in people, no matter how small. It had gotten him in a lot of trouble in the past but... He wasn't the only one saying Marluxia should stay, right?

"Even, you're letting your personal feelings cloud your judgment," Aeleus said bluntly. "Marluxia is too valuable of an ally to turn away."

Even whirled to face Aeleus, horror etched on his face. "Aeleus! You can't be serious?! You know what he's like!" he tried to convince his colleague, not understanding how Aeleus could  _ possibly _ even  _ consider _ letting Marluxia stay with them. He'd never felt so betrayed. Not even  _ Axel's _ betrayal had felt as bad as this. Aeleus couldn't  _ really _ be suggesting Marluxia stay...!

"Come now, Even," Dilan chimed in in relation to Aeleus' comment. He had to agree, Even was acting rather ridiculous. What had even happened between the two to make them hate each other so much? It had been so long ago and their hatred of each other was so constantly manifest that it just became a part of standard procedure to ignore it. Just as then, Dilan ignored Even's look of betrayal now. "This partnership does not have to be forever, just until Xehanort is defeated."

Roxas hummed in thought. He was torn between siding with one friend and siding with another. He felt bad for Naminé, he really did, but... They'd all done things when they were Nobodies that they wouldn't do now that they were Somebodies, right? Marluxia had seemed happy enough to limit his hostility to Even, and honestly Roxas couldn't find it in himself to hold that against the guy. "...If he does anything to make us regret keeping him around we can always throw him out later," Roxas finally said, technically siding with the 'yes' part of the group but not alienating the 'no' part either.

"I have to agree with Terra and Aeleus," Aqua chimed in. "Many of us here were enemies in the past, but... We need to work together if we want to be able to stop Xehanort. I think we should at least give him a chance." Maybe it was because she didn't truly know what had happened in Castle Oblivion - or even where Castle Oblivion was - or maybe it was because she wanted to see the good in everyone, but like her friend she thought Marluxia at least deserved a chance. Roxas was right, if he did anything to betray their trust they could always throw him out then, though depending on how he betrayed them it could always be too late...

  
The moment Aqua was finished voicing her opinion, Ienzo spoke up again. "Nine of fifteen votes in favor of Marluxia staying is a majority of 60%. Therefore, according to the agreed-upon terms of the vote, Marluxia will be allowed to stay in Hollow Bastion for the time being," he said, leaving Even no room for argument. The man made a betrayed whining noise at him as he realized he'd been tricked into accepting those terms, but Ienzo's plan had already come to fruition. He sat back down against the wall, picking up his plate of cake and beginning to eat it again. Now that Marluxia was going to be staying, he'd have to make sure the man actually had a room that Even hadn't boobytrapped...


	4. Marluxia and Evan need a Get Along Shirt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People deal with Marluxia joining the literal party.  
> The youngins plan a trip to Disney Town.  
> Ienzo struggles with family labels.

Naminé looked down at the floor. She was sad but... not as much as she expected to be, honestly. "I guess this was just how it was going to be..." she said quietly. She smiled up at Xion. "Thank you for sticking for me, you didn't have to... Even I understand the benefits of having him stay..."

"Hey, anytime," Xion insisted, patting the girl on both arms. "You just stick with me and Ven, we'll keep that jerk away from you, don't you worry."

Ven nodded as he moved to sling his arm around Naminé's shoulders. "Yeah, you've got us to take care of you now. Besides, Marluxia may get to stay in the castle, but three out of five says he doesn't go to Disney Town," he told her, smiling kindly at his newest friend. It was a small consolation, but at least it would be something for Naminé to look forward to. Even if Aqua and Terra wound up coming along, Ven knew it would be easy enough to get them to understand leaving Marluxia behind was the best plan.

Naminé smiled at Ven. "Of course." She nodded in agreement. Yes, even if Marluxia was around it didn't mean she had to actually interact with him, her friends would actively help keep him away, and they were in no way confined to even this world if they ever needed to get away. Things weren't nearly as bad as they had seemed moments ago.

"I guess that's that then..." Terra said quietly to Aqua. He still wasn't sure if he had made the right choice, and envied Ven a little for having been able to escape having to make one.

Speaking of Aqua, she hugged Terra much the way Ven was hugging Naminé, though a little lower because of the height differences. "Cheer up, Terra. I'm sure everything will work out in the end," she insisted, trying to ease the guilt that was already trying to build up in her taller friend's heart. She couldn't blame him for second-guessing himself like this, but... Well, like Ven, she preferred to see her friend smile. There had been enough frowns for a lifetime in the past decade...

Marluxia smirked in victory as Ienzo announced the results. "Well, Even, it seems like I'm wanted after all- that must be so hard for you," he gloated. Now that he was assured his place he didn't have to be nearly as careful, especially with Even given half the room had openly acknowledged the man was being ridiculous.  

Aeleus sighed. At this rate Marluxia wasn't going to stop harassing Even _until_ he attacked him. Really it was something those who had been with the Organization long enough were used to, but it was still... inconvenient. Most of the people here had yet to learn to simply ignore them.

"Why you-" That was it. Even had had enough of Marluxia's taunting, and between his colleagues' betrayal and that condescending smirk on Marluxia's face he'd just had it. In the blink of an eye Even had summoned his shield and lunged at his flowery nemesis. Like heck he was going to just roll over and let the man stay without a fight. Whatever ploy Marluxia was using to trick people into trusting him, it was not going to work on him...!

A shield was elegantly parried by a scythe that appeared in a flurry of petals. "Come now, you didn't really think it was going to be that easy," he taunted again. Ah yes, the man had finally snapped; such a beautiful sight... and made all the more satisfying to behold with a beating heart.

"...Are you sure about that?" Terra deadpanned as the long anticipated fight finally broke out. He didn't move at all; some one else was going to break it up, and he would just feel bad for interfering. Besides, he really didn't want to also get on Even's bad side; he was obviously the one who needed to be restrained right now... Not that someone didn't need to try and get Marluxia to keep his mouth shut.

Aqua frowned as the tension between Marluxia and Even snapped and the fight began. It seemed to only last for one blow, but that was one blow too long... "What do you think happened between them to make them hate each other like that...?" she asked quietly, reminded too much of certain events in the past. Nothing good could be born from that level of hatred... Hopefully they would be able to repair their relationship somehow, but they'd have to figure out what had gone wrong first...

Riku didn't even turn around at the sound of metal clashing. It wasn't his problem, he wasn't going to deal with it. They could fight all day for all he cared- although... "Could you at least take it outside?" Riku called over his shoulder. He doubted they would listen, but it would be more convenient for everyone if the room they were in didn't get turned into some horrid flowery ice rink. He was being a bit colder than usual... but after everything he was kind of done.

"...Well that was fast." Lea remarked as the sound of the fight had distracted him once again from Roxas. He wasn't even sure himself if he meant how long it had taken the fight to happen or how fast it seemed to be over...

Ven hugged Naminé a tad bit tighter before the fight broke out and distracted him. He frowned at the spectacle, his reassuring one-armed hug turning protective. "...Maybe we should see if we can take that trip sooner rather than later..." he mused, not wanting Naminé around that kind of volatile situation. Ven had really bonded with the girl quickly, it was surprising. Already beginning to plan their escape, Ven looked to the rest of the Wayfinder Trio, subtly trying to call them over to his side with his gaze.

"I don't know..." Terra said. He could honestly say he'd never seen two people hate each other so much... Before he could think about it much more, his Ven sense tingled and he caught the boy's eye. "Come on," he called to Aqua as he carefully maneuvered to the other side of the room avoiding the drama happening in the middle of it. "What's up, Ven?" He smiled at the blonde.

" _Even_ ," Aeleus reprimanded. Immediately he was marching over to the smaller man. Swiftly he encircled his arms around him from behind, pinning Even's arms to his side with his brute strength and lifting him at least half a foot off the ground. "Calm down." He took a step away from Marluxia, but the graceful assassin didn't pursue. He let the scythe fall to his side, but he didn't dismiss it either. His expression was, however, the utter definition of 'shit eating grin'.

"Ngh... Unhand me this instant!" Even insisted, struggling against Aeleus' grip and neglecting to dismiss his shield. When it was clear he wouldn't be gaining any traction from the ground, the blonde began to kick at his captor with a cry of, "Traitor!" He doubted the action would actually assist in freeing him since there was hardly any force to it. Despite this horrific betrayal, Aeleus was still the closest thing Even had to a best friend, which regrettably prevented him from struggling at full strength to get out of his grip. But how could Aeleus just let Marluxia speak to him that way...?!

Dilan, meanwhile, turned his attention to the other offending party. "Marluxia. I shouldn't need to remind you that your presence here is tolerated at best. Watch yourself, and play nice," he warned, satisfied enough when his words seemed to calm Even some. As he'd expected, having someone to seem even remotely in the blonde's corner was enough to put a lid on the man's anger. What Dilan said was true, though; if Marluxia didn't watch himself, he'd be out on the streets again long before he could take his revenge on Xemnas.

Marluxia turned to Dilan when he spoke. He dismissed his scythe and gave a small theatrical bow. "Of course." He didn't have to bother with the obvious 'he started it'- it didn't really matter because despite the small reprimand it was obvious Even was the loser of their spat. "Jusqu'à notre prochaine rencontre, mon amour. Until next time, Even." He turned back to the icy man as he spoke, a hand on his heart.

Aeleus carefully set Even down and let him go, watching carefully because... Well, he wouldn't put it past him to just attack Marluxia again. He had seemed to at least calmed somewhat at Dilan's words.

Even, meanwhile, was glowering at Marluxia as he dusted himself off. He and Aeleus were going to have a serious discussion later on about this. Even's rage threatened to boil over again when Marluxia began speaking in French at him. He threw a glare to Ienzo that clearly said 'you're going to tell me what that bastard said later' and began to storm out of the room again, neither apologizing for his behavior nor telling anyone where he was going. Marluxia wasn't going to stop him this time. Oh how he hated that rose-haired man, despised his very _existence_...

Demyx watched intently as Ienzo seemingly single-handedly concluded the situation. "Well looks like Marly's here to stay!" he said cheerfully, but then paused. Ienzo and Even were really close... Did Ienzo have the same kind of grudge against Marluxia and just wasn't as vocal about it? "...Does the way Marluxia and Even fight all the time bother you?" he asked, careful to phrase his question in a way that wasn't too leading.

Ienzo smirked wryly at Demyx as he swallowed his latest tiny forkful of cake. "It's been going on long enough that it feels more like they are having a lover's spat than anything. Most of the time it's just amusing," he explained, turning to frown at his cake as he recalled previous tussles between the two. "Though... I do wish Vexen would refrain from destroying the lab after their quarrels... And sometimes I worry that old man is going to get an aneurysm if he fails to keep his temper under control." He probably hadn't needed to add that, but, well... No one had asked him his opinion on the matter before. That didn't mean he hadn't alluded to it in the past, but they'd all been passing comments that had been promptly ignored by the shattering of glass or upturning of a table. Looking back up at the current impending battle, Ienzo grumbled, "And one of these days his temper is going to get himself killed..." The 'again' went left unsaid.

Demyx smiled brightly as he listened to Ienzo speak. He almost never got to hear the boy talk this much at once! And he didn't hate Marluxia, so he didn't have to feel bad about that either! He wouldn't even have to pretend that watching them fight wasn't funny. "A lover's spat? They certainly make a weird couple..." He wasn't actually sure how much of that statement was supposed to be a joke; he'd seen some odd pairs in the Organization after all. As an afterthought he added, "...Does that make Marluxia, like, your mom?"

Ienzo watched the skirmish with mild amusement before Demyx's question reached his ears. He jolted slightly and turned to look at his conversational partner, innocent confusion marring his features. It only lasted for a moment before Ienzo returned his attention to Marluxia and Even, tilting his head slightly as he analyzed both their current and past relationship. "...I believe it may be more accurate to say it makes him my evil step-father," he finally voiced, laying out in his head his effective family tree. There was no question in his mind that Even was his effective mother, and Aeleus his effective father, hence Marluxia being the step-father. And Dilan was his uncle. Ienzo elected not to try and think where Braig or Xehanort fit on that tree.

Demyx nodded. "That makes sense." Yes, 'evil step-father' fit Marluxia pretty well. He continued to watch the spectacle, but his face scrunched up as the words ‘mon amour’ left Marluxia's mouth. "Wow. That was... forward." He definitely hadn't expected Marluxia to say something like that in front of everyone... Then again he wasn't sure how many people in the room could actually understand him.

Ienzo watched Even storm off, radiating ice and rage the whole way. He'd received the glare's message loud and clear, but... Well, telling Even what Marluxia had said would _definitely_ cause another fight to break out. "Yes, it was..." Ienzo murmured in response to Demyx's statement, not actually consciously realizing that the musician had also understood. What to tell Even later... It would be best if he lied, but it would still have to be a believable one... How to express Marluxia's hatred without letting on to the _other_ sentiment that had been expressed...

Demyx watched Even go with a small frown. "Aww... well there goes the night's entertainment." He joked as Even left the room. Seemed like Marly was going to be leaving in a second too... he looked around. Well maybe it wouldn't be so bad- the only 'adult' left in the room would be Lea, and he was probably the most irresponsible person here, so he didn't really count. He then noticed the cake he had completely forgotten next to him. He took a few quick bites and then paused. Even wasn't here now... he didn't have to worry about getting frozen anymore! He took another forkful of cake and this time held it a few inches from Ienzo's mouth "Want some?" He asked with a bright smile.

Dilan, meanwhile, simply sighed and turned to Aeleus. "Perhaps we should find Marluxia a room..." he suggested, his expression adding the unworded 'away from Even'. The two would probably wind up finding and harassing each other enough as it was, placing their rooms even remotely in the same vicinity was just going to end even more poorly...

As Aeleus nodded in agreement with Dilan, Marluxia spoke up. "That would be very much appreciated..." He was, after all, effectively on the streets for the time being. Unless he wanted to go back to Traverse Town- which he certainly didn't, and even then the accommodations there were certainly less than ideal. Honestly, he was surprised they were even letting him stay in the castle. "...My apologies, I don't know what I should call you, Lexaeus, Xaldin."

Aeleus shook his head, not nearly as perturbed by use of his Nobody name as some of the others. "Aeleus and Dilan now. Come, we'll find you a place to stay." Removing Marluxia from where he could do more damage seemed prudent but... ultimately it would mean leaving him unattended, and that was unwise as well... But he decided it was perhaps the lesser of two evils at the moment.

Roxas had also turned to watch the fight. "Are they going to attack each other every time we talk about ice cream?" Roxas asked with a raised eyebrow, not particularly pleased at once again being interrupted. He too was on the 'take it outside/get a room' side of the argument. After all, Roxas himself had zero interest in getting involved, and from what stories he remembered of the two this kind of brawl was far from abnormal.

"Jeeze, I hope not - we'd never get to have ice cream again," Lea said, knowing too well that Even and Marluxia fighting was like a constant of the universe. It just couldn't be stopped- not for long at least.

"Don't say that in front of Xion, I think she'll cry," Roxas joked, tugging Lea back towards their black-haired friend. She and Ven were thankfully still looking after Naminé, which meant he wouldn't have to worry too much about Marluxia's attention shifting to her if and when he was done with Even. It looked like Ven had even called in reinforcements.

Sora chuckled at Riku's response and watched the skirmish with some level of excitement. It wasn't often he got to see people fight without being actively involved. Besides, like some other people in the room he thought Even was _way_ overreacting and it was kinda funny. "Hey, it's fine as long as no one gets hurt, right?" he asked, almost disappointed when Aeleus pulled the irate scholar away. If they took it outside he wouldn't get to watch them go at it.

"Sora..." Kairi sighed, knowing her friend just wanted to watch the fight. Well, at least she could try to talk some sense into him. "There's not enough room to fight in here, someone will get hurt," she tried to persuade him, and that got him to look at least a little more thoughtful. Honestly, it seemed like Sora had been hanging around Lea a little too long or something...

Riku sighed at Sora, but couldn't bring himself to actually reprimand him. "At this rate, I'm sure this won't be the last time we see this..." He smiled at Sora softly despite himself.

Sora scratched the back of his head as he grinned. "Yeah... It was cool to get to see their weapons, though. I wouldn't have guessed Even had a shield. But a scythe makes sense for Marluxia," he said. Sora's expression turned somewhat thoughtful as he mused, "I wonder what that Marluxia guy said to Even, though... What language even was that?"

"That was French," Kairi explained. "I don't know much of it, but some of my classmates studied it in school. Sadly I don't know enough to tell you what he said," she apologized, though a smile still graced her face. Honestly she was disappointed, mostly because she felt like she missed out on some kind of joke. Though, it looked like Even hadn't understood either... Maybe that was why Marluxia had chosen to say what he did. The two of them really did seem to like getting on each other's nerves...

Riku wonder idly if the 'scythe made sense' because part of Sora remembered it. "He must be going through a lot of trouble to bypass our magic..." After all, not everyone on every world spoke the same language, obviously, but basic translation spells were amongst the first he learned, he'd be surprised if anyone here couldn't do that much. They were probably all spoiled by the constant auto translation... Marluxia had really gone out of his way just to say something Even wouldn't understand... but that didn't seem all that surprising really. He had to admit, though, he was curious what he'd said...

Kairi nodded in agreement with Riku. "He'll probably do whatever he can to annoy Even. If it's anything like the bullies in school, the fact that he reacts so strongly is why Marluxia keeps tormenting him..." the red-haired girl theorized. She may not have actually gotten to go on as many adventures as her two friends, but that didn't mean she hadn't learned anything. Part of her did wonder if Marluxia would actually stop if Even learned to control his anger around the man, or if it was simply too late on that front...

Riku's smile dropped at Kairi's words. Yes, and the fact that he continued tormenting the man over something so trivial was just another reason not to like him... "Anyway..." Riku began, wanting to change the subject to something that didn't involve the newest member of their alliance. "What do you guys want to do now? Looks like things are winding down..."

Aqua waved to Ven as she and Terra approached his newfound group of friends. Before she could ask what the matter was, Ven answered Terra's question. "We want to go to Disney Town for ice cream," he explained. "Naminé and the others have never been, so I promised to take them. Besides, it'll be away, from, you know..." Ven didn't even have to look towards the pink-haired scythe wielder for Aqua to understand who he was talking about.

"It sounds like a good plan to me," she said, smiling kindly at the group. "Who all are you planning to take with you?" Obviously she and Terra were being invited on the outing, and Naminé and Xion, but she wanted to make sure they didn't try to leave without any of the others. Promises were important to keep, after all.

"Other than Xion and Naminé, Roxas and Lea were going to come with us too," Ven explained. He made something of a pout before adding, "Though, I think they got distracted by Marluxia..."

Lea made it back to the group with Roxas and grinned, appearing almost as if he'd been summoned by Ven's comment. "Alright guys what's the plan?"

"Ice cream, apparently," Terra answered.

"Well I knew that." Lea waved his hand dismissively.

"We were thinking of going now..." Naminé spoke up.

" _Now?_ " Lea repeated, surprised. He stopped to think about it for a moment before shrugging. "Sounds good to me- not like they can get mad at us for ditching since Even's already MIA. What about you, Roxas?"

Roxas hummed. "Well, sooner rather than later is probably a good idea. If we wait too long Even and Marluxia might start fighting again," he joked, alluding back to their conversation a few moments ago.

"I think now's as good a time as any," Xion piped up, more interested in getting ice cream with Naminé and her friends than she was avoiding Marluxia. But the trip would accomplish both, so really there was no need to delay.

"What do you think, Aqua?" Ven asked, looking up hopefully at his friends. He would probably need their help transporting everyone...

Aqua hummed in thought. "Well... How are we going to get there? My armor is still missing, as is Terra's, so only you can use the Lanes Between..." she mused. Using a Dark Corridor was out of the question as well, since again, as far as she knew only Ven had his armor and he could hardly transport someone with only one set...

"Oh yeah, I forgot," Ven said dejectedly, hanging his head in shame. "I'm sorry, everyone..." he apologized softer, feeling like he'd gotten everyone's hopes up just to let them all down.

Xion tilted her head, not understanding what armor had to do with the ability to go to other worlds. She looked up to Lea and asked, "Can't we just use a Dark Corridor to get there?" Aqua didn't seem to be fond of the idea based on her expression, but...

"Xion, we just got our hearts back- you want to lose them again?" Lea half scolded, ignoring both the fact they had actually had hearts and Xion being a replica had never lost hers in the first place. "Using the darkness to get places is dangerous," he remarked hypocritically. He still used dark corridors... Well, he'd like to say only in emergencies, but that was a lie. He'd even been scolded by The King himself for it (he was quite proud). Still, he didn't want his bad habits rubbing off on his young friends.

Terra crossed his arms and thought hard. "There has to be some way..." He couldn't stand to see Ven look so disappointed. He just wanted to take his new friends somewhere fun... and he'd be lying if he said he didn't want a chance to enjoy the place with Ven and Aqua instead of just missing them.

Naminé pressed her fingers together, looking contemplative. "...Maybe we could ask Sora? He could take us there on his gummi ship... if you don't mind him, Riku and Kairi tagging along." Because the three of them kind of came as a set now. She still felt awkward around Sora, and she certainly felt bad asking him for a favor... but Ven had looked so sad, and surely Sora wouldn't actually mind, he was too kind.

"...Gummi ship?" Terra questioned, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

"What, you don't know what a gummi ship is?" Lea asked half in honest surprise and half mockingly. Well, it made sense when he thought about it. As far as he knew they were a more recent technology...

Xion pouted at Lea as they all debated what to do about the world traversing situation. A gummi ship would be the easiest way to travel to other worlds right now, it was true, but also true was that Sora was the only one who had access to one...

Ven looked around to make sure Marluxia was gone before calling to his former heart-host. "Hey, Sora!" he called out, waving to flag the other boy down.

Sora looked up at the call of his name. "Huh? Yeah, what's up, Ven?" he asked, figuring addressing Ven was more pressing than trying to figure out what to do with his own group of friends. Maybe Ven had a solution to his problem, who knew?

"Can we borrow your gummi ship?" Ven asked, getting straight to the point. "We all wanna go to Disney Town for ice cream, but we don't actually have a way to get there... You're welcome to come along, of course." His smile was warm and inviting. He didn't actually mind more company; the more the merrier, right? As long as they didn't get into any weird games or invite Marluxia along it should be fine.

"Sure," Sora answered, wide grin ever-present. He turned back to his friends and asked, "Hey guys, wanna go to Disney Town?"

Riku blinked. Well, that answered that then. "Alright." He smiled softly, Sora's enthusiasm contagious. "That's part of Mickey's kingdom, right? I've never been there myself though..." It sounded like it would be fun, and the group seemed to have dwindled to people he got along with more easily. Of course promises of ice cream were always enticing.

"...So what's a gummi ship?" Terra repeated, having been mostly ignored and his question still being unanswered. Well, he could certainly infer a lot from the conversation at hand, but he still wanted a proper explanation.

"It's a ship made up of the broken walls between worlds. It can safely fly in the spaces between them," Naminé offered, knowing Lea was going to continue to be unhelpful and the others were too distracted with the new addition of Sora's group to their excursion. She was actually getting really excited about the trip, it was making her a bit more talkative.

"Sora uses one all the time," Kairi chimed in. It was clear from the look on her face she was all for ice cream time. Like her friends, she had also never been to Disney Town, but it would be a lot of fun to go with everyone here. A nice trip like that sounded like a great way to continue bonding with the new team.

Aqua smiled at the group. "It sounds perfect. If you'd be willing to let us use your ship, we'd be more than happy to show you the way there," she offered. Like Terra, she was excited to actually get a chance to experience Disney Town with her friends instead of just missing them each time. She knew her friends had had ice cream flavors made in their honor, and she wanted to give them a try...

Sora smiled at the group. "I don't mind. Disney Town sounds like a lot of fun to me! Are we gonna go now?" he asked, obviously eager to get going even though he'd just had a whole bunch to eat. That had just been the main course, it was time for dessert!

"That's the plan!" Lea answered Sora, happy to have the boy and his friends along.

Terra smiled, glad the problem had been solved so quickly. "Disney Town is a lot of fun, I'm sure you'll all like it there." Like Lea he thought Sora and friends were more than welcome. They had, after all, been the ones to help reunite him with Ven and Aqua, he'd be eternally grateful to Sora for that. Showing him Disney Town was certainly the least he could do.

"I guess we should get going then. We can take you to the warp," Riku chimed in, referring to the glowing green circles that connected land to the ship. "...It's going to be a tight fit though..." he added, sweeping over the fairly large group of people. He, Sora and Kairi fit in the ship comfortably, and it wasn't even that bad with the addition of Donald and Goofy, but with this many people... They were going to be squished shoulder to shoulder, and someone was probably going to have to sit in someone else's lap... Maybe more than just some'one' actually...

Ven hummed in thought, finally suggesting, "Well, I can always just take my keyglider and meet you guys there."

Aqua looked extremely hesitant at the idea of Ven out in space alone with no one to rescue him if something went wrong, but she didn't want to shoot him down either. She knew the boy could take care of himself, but... Well, even she could admit to being selfish at a time like this. She spent ten years without her friends, without a single soul but Darkness for company, and she wasn't eager to risk repeating that experience any time soon.

"I don't know Ven, I wouldn't want you to feel left out..." Read: hell no you’re not flying there by yourself I'm not letting you out of my sight again for more than 2 minutes ever, said Terra. "You can sit on me, it's fine." It would not be the first or last time Ven found his way into Terra's lap, but the others didn't need to know this.

"Oh, all right," Ven answered Terra brightly, more than happy to make use of the excuse to be close to his best-friend-slash-crush. If a lot of them were sharing seats, he'd be less likely to be teased by people like Lea, too... At least Aqua seemed relieved he'd given in and agreed not to fly off on his own. Besides, he's be lying if he said he didn't want to see what gummi ships were like.

Sora also hummed, holding a hand to his chin. "Well, I might have some gummi blocks that would make the hull bigger, but we still might wind up needing some people to sit in other people's laps..." Okay, so he _definitely_ had pieces that could make the hull bigger, but that would make it more difficult to control and stuff. But mostly he just wanted to watch people try to squeeze into the seats and laugh. Imagining someone sitting in Lea's lap the whole time was hilarious.

"I can help you edit it," Riku said to Sora. Admittedly, he didn't know quite as much about ships as the other boy, but he at least knew enough to be handy. "It'll be tight, but we _should_ be able to fit everyone," he concluded more to the general group.

Sora nodded at Riku. "Let's get going, then. The sooner we head out the sooner we can get ice cream!" he proclaimed, eager as ever to get on the road.

"Ooh, can I drive?" Xion asked, excited to really be going to Disney Town.

Kairi smiled kindly at Xion, but there was no way she was letting someone with no practice drive a ship she was going to be in. "Maybe it's best if we let Sora drive. He knows all the controls, after all," she attempted to persuade the girl.

"Aww, okay..." Xion relented, but she didn't seem disheartened at all. She was still going to get ice cream, and that's what mattered.

Lea slung an arm around Roxas, giving him a sly grin. "You're welcome to ride on me anytime, Roxas." Given his general behavior - especially during the game they'd just played - he doubted anyone besides Roxas would think what he said was much more than a crude joke. He didn't really care if anyone knew about his feelings for the smaller boy, he didn't exactly try to hide them most of the time, but he tried to hold back a little for Roxas' sake. Sometimes.

"Lea..." Roxas whined, elbowing his friend lightly in the stomach. His efforts to force down a blush were only half successful. He knew Lea was teasing him, but he had a feeling he was going to wind up in the red-head's lap even if there were enough seats, so he didn't bother arguing.

With that, Riku lead everyone out of the room and to Cid's hangar where he and Sora could edit the ship.

"So that's it, huh?" Terra remarked, looking at the strange blocky vehicle with interest. It wasn't at all what he expected a spaceship to look like. It was so brightly colored, and almost looked as if it was made out of Legos.

"Yup! Weird things, but convenient!" Lea replied. They sat back and watched Sora and Riku make the alterations, trying to add as much space to the cockpit as they could.


	5. There is an Inarguable Correlation between Cake and Science

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Demyx is a nerd. Ienzo is also a nerd. There is cake and singing.  
> The ship, it sails.
> 
> But no seriously they are super dorky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of the ship tags to actually set sail, woo!  
> For your convenience, the End Notes of Chapter 1 will have a table of contents by ship guide going forward!

Meanwhile, while the Ice Cream Team was discussing their plans and Dilan and Aeleus were escorting Marluxia off to his new room, Ienzo had turned to Demyx and was currently staring at his offer of cake. He would be lying if he said he didn't want it, but... "...Are you sure...?" Ienzo asked, breaking eye contact with the cake to look up at Demyx himself. As could be expected Ienzo had finished his own cake moments ago, the food only having lasted that long because of the small bites he took, but he was always in the mood for more... Still, someone willingly giving up their cake so he could have it? That was just something Ienzo was having difficulty processing.

"Of course!" Demyx beamed. "I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't!" He moved the fork just a bit closer to his mouth. Ienzo hadn't immediately turned him down, so that meant he was probably actually going to let him feed him! He was so happy!!

Well, if that was the case... Ienzo smiled and happily leaned forward to accept the bite of cake he was offered. It was just as good as his own cake had been, maybe sweeter since it was technically bonus cake. Bonus cake did always taste better... Not that he ever got any, because Dilan kept a tight watch on any cake that ever got made after the time Ienzo had absconded with one and eaten it all. The stomach ache had been  _ entirely _ worth it. The scientist offered Demyx a, "Thank you," as he sat back, expression just a tad brighter than it had been before the offered cake.

Demyx was walking on air. Ienzo just... looked so happy, because of him. Dilan was going to teach him how to make every cake that existed ever. "You're welcome!" In that moment his smile was probably bright enough the light it produced could have been weaponized against Xehanort.  And then he noticed the bit of frosting just above the corner of Ienzo's mouth. "Oh! You've got-" He lifted his hand to wipe it away, but stopped. No. Even wasn't here, this was his chance. With a determined face, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to the mark and wiped it away with his tongue. If he moved just a few millimeters lower, they'd actually be kissing... but he pulled away, blushing and watching Ienzo shyly to be sure he hadn't crossed too many boundaries.

Ienzo froze as Demyx leaned in and the blonde's lips touched his skin. His heart fluttered strangely and for a moment he wondered if the cake hadn't agreed with him. The feeling went away fast enough as Demyx pulled back, however. "Did you get it?" Ienzo asked, voice betraying none of his concern, about either his own body's reaction or Demyx's strange behavior. Why was  _ he _ acting so weird? All he'd done was get what he assumed was frosting off his face, and his actions had made enough sense for that purpose. Wasted frosting was one of the greatest crimes against humanity possible, and now that he was whole again he cared about things like that.

Demyx tried not to let his disappointment show too much. In a way, Ienzo's indifferent reaction hurt worse than outright rejection... "Yeah..." The word came out sounding depressed despite himself. And then Demyx gave up on trying to maintain his composure. He returned to his cake, slumped over and dejected. So much for his big chance...

Ienzo raised an eyebrow at Demyx, confused by the blonde's sudden onset of depression. Had he done something wrong? He didn't think he'd done anything that should have upset him... Well, maybe he just hadn't been able to taste the frosting he'd cleaned off or something. That made sense. Not getting to taste frosting was as true a tragedy as wasting it...

Actually... Now that Demyx's attention had returned to his cake, Ienzo was able to spot a dab of frosting that had smeared itself on the blonde's cheek. They could both apparently use some practice in eating cleaner, it seemed. Oh well, there was nothing for it. Without hesitation, Ienzo lightly took hold of Demyx's chin to hold him steady as he leaned forward and carefully licked the icing off his cheek. The slight alteration to the taste because of the other boy's skin was interesting... Not that he lingered on it for very long. In the next moment, Ienzo returned to his own empty cake plate, trying in vain to scrape up some of the leftover icing with his fork.

???????? was all Demyx could think for a moment, his whole face red. "D-did you just??" he asked as though he hadn't just done the very same thing. He was so confused. What did this mean? Ienzo brushed him off before... but now this? Was Ienzo just like... really bad at expressing his emotions? That would make sense, he'd spent more of his life as a Nobody than not. Did that mean... he wanted Demyx to continue flirting with him? This was so weird...

Ienzo turned to look at Demyx again, blinking slowly. And now Demyx was blushing like crazy... He really was acting weird. "You had frosting on your cheek," he offered as an explanation, his tone making it obvious he was confused about the other boy's behavior. Wasn't licking off icing just standard procedure? He knew he'd seen some of the other members of the Organization do similar things...

"..." Demyx stared dumbfounded at Ienzo's obvious statement, still blushing. What did he say to that? Was Ienzo messing with him? He did enjoy manipulating people, what with the illusions and all... He pouted. "Come on, man, don't be like that!" he whined, trying to get a straight answer from the boy or at least get him to own up to pulling his strings.

Demyx's whine resulted in Ienzo losing just the slightest bit of his composure, his face scrunching up in obvious confusion. "Be like what...? You had icing on your cheek, I got it off..." Seriously, what was  _ with _ Demyx today? Was there something he was missing...? There had to be, but for the life of him Ienzo couldn't figure it out.

"Sometimes I just don't understand you..." Ienzo lamented softly with a sigh as he stood and stretched out his back. At a more audible volume, Ienzo announced, "I am going to get more cake. You are welcome to come with me, of course." Because as far as he could tell Demyx wanted the two of them to be friends, and friends didn't deny friends delicious cake.

Well, of course Demyx got up and followed Ienzo. "What do you  _ mean _ you don't understand  _ me _ ," he objected. Ienzo was the one who was acting weird! "You practically kissed me and are just writing that off as nothing! That's not normal!" At this point he had entirely forgotten that he had pulled the move first. "Stop messing with me!" he whined, pouting and making exaggerated gestures with his hands as he spoke. He cared a lot for Ienzo, but he didn't like being toyed with.

Ienzo stopped, which was an impressive feat given there was cake to be had, and turned to face Demyx again. Despite how he usually tried to mask his emotions when he wasn't around Even or Aeleus, his expression clearly showed that he was confused and just the slightest bit concerned. "It is...  _ not _ normal...?" he asked tentatively, eyebrows knitting together tighter for just a moment. That made no sense, because... "But... You did the same thing to me..." He just didn't understand.

"I-" Demyx's face lit up red. "That's- I mean I-" he continued stuttering, not knowing what to say. He'd been caught red handed! Wait... but wasn't the point for Ienzo to know? Was he really messing with him? The more this went on the more it seemed like Ienzo was honestly confused... It was even showing on his face. If he was messing with him, by now, surely he'd be wearing that sly (and extremely sexy) smirk. "You're supposed to be the smart one why can't you figure it out!?" he finally shouted in frustration, still blushing.

Figure it out...? Well, obviously all the signs Demyx wanted him to notice were there, but none of them were adding up. Ienzo fell into his normal thoughtful stance as he tried to solve the equation presented to him. Demyx thought he was messing with him, which was understandable seeing as he was the Organization's schemer. It seemed like most of the confusion stemmed from the two almost-kisses they'd shared... Well... That was what was confusing him. People in the Organization taunted each other with kisses all the time, so it wasn't-

Oh. Ienzo frowned as unbeknownst to him 1+1 added to 3. He looked away, expression dejected as he apologized, "I am sorry. It was not my intention to make you believe I hated you..." Demyx had just wanted a friend, and here he was practically professing his hatred for the blonde... But... Demyx had started it, did that mean Demyx actually hated  _ him _ ? He was so confused...

????? Demyx repeated mentally. "What?" That didn't make any sense at all! Where had he even pulled that from? "I don't think you hate me!" Though, now that was starting to change, since Ienzo brought it up out of the blue. "I didn't, at least..." he added much quieter. "I really hope you don't..." he said sadly, once again slumping over dejectedly. This had all gone from bad to worse; he just wanted Ienzo to notice him...

What? He'd guessed wrong again... Ienzo was really beginning to get frustrated with not understanding what Demyx was trying to tell him. The other boy was right, he  _ was _ supposed to be the smart one, he  _ should _ be able to figure this out. But he couldn't. He just... couldn't.

"I don't hate you," Ienzo said, the lingering confusion resulting in more conviction lacing his voice than intended. "I just... don't understand what you're getting so worked up about, if you don't hate me..." Without realizing it, Ienzo inadvertently let it slip that he thought Demyx might secretly hate him. The only thing Ienzo hated was being forced to admit he didn't understand something, and the headache that was forming because of it. Why? Why was Demyx so upset about something as innocent as an almost-kiss if he didn't hate him enough to want to date him...?

"Of course I don't hate you!" Demyx immediately exclaimed. Where had Ienzo ever gotten  _ that _ idea?? "It's the opposite..." he said under his breath, not intending for the other boy to hear. He didn't know what to do now. Ienzo had apparently misread  _ everything _ . So how was he supposed to... Did he just... tell him? He still had no inclination of what Ienzo thought about  _ him _ , so it was kinda... But if he didn't put it bluntly, would he ever get it? Would he just keep misunderstanding him and think ridiculous things like he  _ hated _ him? Suddenly, he became painfully aware that it was just the two of them in this room. He could say anything he wanted, no one would stop him, no one would judge him, Even wasn't there to push him away. But... just because he could say anything doesn't mean he should, right? But if he didn't say it now, then when? If he got rejected, wouldn't it be better to be able to move on now instead of continuing to pine for him? If that was the worst that was going to happen, then...

"Ienzo," Demyx said, voice suddenly filled with determination. He summoned his sitar, as an instrument not a weapon, and strummed a chord. "Ieeeenzoooo," he sang. "Ienzo even though you see~, we are no longer Nobodies~, I still don't have my heart that's new~, because I gave it away tooo... you." He finished his confessionary song, plucking a few more notes before his hands stilled as well. He looked up at Ienzo shyly. There. Surely now he'd have to understand, right?

Ienzo was frozen in shock. Oh. That was... Oh. A blush rose unbidden to Ienzo's cheeks; he was sure Demyx could see it as clearly as Ienzo could feel them burning, even with his hair and one of his hands partially in the way. Suddenly everything was much more clear, and yet not. Demyx's confession challenged every idea he'd held of love and relationships. What... was he supposed to do now that he was faced with... this?

Well, perhaps it wasn't  _ completely _ unprecedented... For all their strangeness, Xemnas and Saix didn't  _ seem _ like they hated each other... That was likely due to Saix's undying devotion to their former Superior. Demyx certainly seemed to show Ienzo himself a similar level of devotion... Yes, it made sense after all, he'd just been looking at it from the wrong angle.

The only mystery that remained, then, was of Ienzo's own feelings. They were supposed to be reciprocated to facilitate a proper relationship, correct? Unbidden, the thoughts and flashes of images he'd pushed aside, especially during that card game, returned to the forefront of his mind. Oh. Well, he... apparently felt the same way, then... "That certainly explains my body's reactions, then..." he mused softly, too caught up in his own thoughts to realize he's spoken aloud, much less that he hadn't given Demyx a proper response.

"Uh..." Demyx dismissed his sitar and fiddled nervously with his hands. Ienzo blushed, that was probably good, but he didn't say anything for a while and then... "...So uh... What does... that... mean?" he tentatively asked for clarification, not wanting to offend the boy or cause any more confusion than he had, but he really didn't understand what Ienzo meant. A statement like that could swing either way... He let his gaze fall down to his hands, thumbs twiddling restlessly as he awaited Ienzo's answer.

Ienzo's gaze snapped up to Demyx again at the sound of his - admittedly lovely - voice. Oh, he'd spoken out loud, whoops. Well, the longer this went on the more sure of his feelings Ienzo was, even if empirically they made no sense. Or maybe they did and they just hadn't been tested under the right hypothesis. Only one way to find out...

"...Demyx," Ienzo began, a kinder variant of his normal sly smirk emerging on his lips. "If I were to ask you to do something for me, for science, would you?"

Demyx blinked in confusion. Where had  _ that  _ come from? "Yeah, of course!" he agreed immediately. He'd do pretty much anything to make Ienzo happy, after all. Well... Ok, agreeing to do  _ anything _ for science was probably a bad idea, he trusted Ienzo, but he also knew what kind of experiments he ran sometimes. "...I mean, as long as it's not like... you know, not gonna hurt me or anything..." he amended; he felt bad immediately for indirectly accusing the boy of something like that, but there  _ was  _ precedent. Still, he smiled sweetly, ready to go along with whatever Ienzo asked as long as it wasn't too extreme.

Perfect. He'd been hoping Demyx wouldn't ask too many questions, that would have ruined the fun. Ienzo's smirk widened a fraction as he began approaching the other boy, his heart starting to pound in his chest. That was odd, was he... nervous about this? He pushed the feeling aside to mull over later, determined to not get distracted from completing his latest scheme.

As Ienzo stood right in front of Demyx, he had to push away another wave of emotion, this time doubt. It would be fine, right? Demyx wouldn't turn him down, he said he'd do whatever he asked. It would be fine. Expression betraying none of the wavering in his confidence, Ienzo wrapped his arms around Demyx's neck, smirking up at him as he requested, "...Kiss me."

Demyx's face turned bright red again. And that stupid smirk wasn't helping things. "I uh- I mean... Are you sure?" Oooh he wanted to do it so bad, but the current situation felt too surreal. Despite his apparent hesitance, his hands wrapped around Ienzo's waist automatically at the proximity. His heart was pounding in his chest- no, this couldn't be real, could it? But here he was, with his beloved in his arms... He leaned in a bit closer, but still waited for the secondary permission before actually following through.

"I'm asking you to, am I not...?" Ienzo practically murmured against the other's lips. He knew for sure now he was nervous, yes, but he was also excited. After all, he really  _ did _ like Demyx, even if he wasn't sure to what extent, and without Even around to stop them this was a unique opportunity to run 'tests' on those feelings. He'd never had a chance, after all, since he'd been turned into a Nobody at such a young age. Almost as an afterthought, but maybe because of that lingering anxiety, Ienzo added, "Just go easy on me, this is my first kiss after all..."

Demyx's heart was beyond butterflies and was doing somersaults. He gently brushed aside Ienzo's bangs, giving him a rare chance to see his full face. He'd be lying, if he said he didn't feel a surge of pride at knowing he would be Ienzo's first; well, it was kind of obvious without him saying it, but having it brought to his attention directly made him happy. He leaned in just that little bit more, pressing their lips together and letting his eyes fall shut. He still tasted like the cake... Well, they both probably did, but that was hardly surprising. The kiss was soft and tender, Demyx's thumb ran delicately over Ienzo's cheek, and the arm still around the small scientist's waist tightened and pulled him closer. It was... pure bliss. He was just so happy. But alas, it had to end sometime, so reluctantly he pulled away- not very far, just enough to be able to see Ienzo's face properly. "...So professor Ienzo, what are the results?" he asked with a cheesy grin, playing along with how Ienzo had apparently declared this in the name of science.

A soft moan escaped Ienzo nearly as soon as the kiss began, having not expected it to feel like...  _ this _ . He willingly let Demyx lead, partially because he had literally zero idea what he was doing and partially because it let him fully revel in what he was feeling. Obviously Ienzo had  _ no _ complaints that Demyx still tasted like cake; honestly that was probably a point in his favor. As he'd imagined (quite vividly so earlier that day), Demyx did have strong hands, but he was also unexpectedly gentle. Just like he'd asked... It left him feeling sort of tingly all over, and it was far from an unpleasant feeling. He wouldn't mind if they kept this up for a while...

But eventually Demyx broke the kiss. Ienzo took a moment to calm his racing heart and regain his bearings as he considered how best to respond. He smirked back up at the musician, a blush still dusting his cheeks as he answered, "Hmm... Well, I have strong evidence to initially support my hypothesis... Of course, to prove it I have to be able to reliably replicate the results..."

Demyx grinned, obviously more than happy to comply. How could he say no when Ienzo was looking at him like _that_? "Right!" he enthusiastically agreed before leaning in again, kissing the smaller boy a second time. It was less shy than the first, the hand holding back Ienzo's hair slipping around to the back of his head to push the kiss deeper. It was more sensual that the first, Demyx being ever so slightly more aggressive with the boost in confidence, but he still refrained from using his tongue, not wanting to push any boundaries. Ienzo's lips were so soft...

Ienzo was more than willing to kiss Demyx again, his arms tightening around the other's neck as Demyx's hand moved to the back of his head. He tried to follow Demyx's lead and be more active in the kiss this time, but as it was only his second he was obviously still learning. Oh well, Demyx seemed happy enough to teach him. Meanwhile it felt like sparks were running all over his skin, even though he knew there was no  _ actual _ electricity because that was Larxene's thing. Ienzo didn't mind of course, because it was honestly a rather pleasant sensation. Really, there were a  _ lot _ of pleasant sensations, too many to actively catalogue while he was busy experiencing them. He'd have to think back and try to recall each one of them later. For science. For now, he was busy running an extremely important experiment...

Ienzo was the one who broke off the kiss this time. Not because he  _ wanted _ to, but because he needed to catch his breath. The added intensity of the kiss had jumped his heart rate up and caused him to lose his breath much faster than the first time. In reality, it was beginning to be something of a struggle to keep trying to think of it like a science experiment, or think at all, really. Fascinating. "Well... That certainly supports my hypothesis..." Ienzo relayed, smirking up at his... friend? Were they friends still? Relationship titles were weird, he'd worry about it later.

"So what exactly is your hypothesis?" Demyx asked eagerly, a faint blush still present of his cheeks. Well, he was pretty sure what it was, because all of this science babble seemed to be Ienzo's way of flirting (which was  _ adorable).  _ He did, in fact, know what a hypothesis was... he just might not have been able to pronounce it right had Ienzo not just said it. Still, he was on the metaphorical edge of his seat waiting for Ienzo's answer... It'd be... an actual confession right? But there was still a tiny part of him that was afraid it wouldn't be, that he'd still be clueless or... worse... He didn't think he'd let him kiss him twice if he didn't actually like him, even if it was for science right? Right?? He was nervous, and it showed in how he was twiddling with Ienzo's hair and rocking a bit on the balls of his feet.

He could lie. Part of Ienzo wanted to, the part of him that was still confused and scared this was all an elaborate trick somehow. It wouldn't be the first time one of his own schemes had backfired. But... Demyx wasn't like that. Even as a Nobody he had been kind and excitable... No, he would tell the truth, if for no other reason than Ienzo had the inexplicable desire to see the other boy smile again.

"It is quite simple, really. My hypothesis is that I am as attracted to you as you are to me, and that every part of me knew that before my brain did," he explained, probably oversharing as he moved one of his hands to run up through Demyx's hair. He'd wanted to do that ever since he first saw the musician just to find out how it worked, and Demyx had run his hand through Ienzo's hair so he doubted he'd get reprimanded now. Of course, even if outwardly Ienzo was still smirking, now that his hypothesis was out in the open he got to join Demyx on the 'sudden fear of rejection' train. But... It would be fine. If not, he'd just have to reformulate his hypothesis and begin a new experiment. Ienzo wasn't known for giving up on something once he'd decided he wanted it and there was still science to be done regarding it, after all.

Demyx's eyes lit up with pure joy. Before he could stop himself he was scooping Ienzo up in his arms and spinning him around. "Zexy likes me!" he declared, too caught up in the moment to catch the slip up of the wrong name. When he finally set the smaller boy down he immediately began to pepper his face with small kisses- his forehead, his cheek, sometimes even a peck on the lips. His hands were still on Ienzo's waist, it would take quite the intimidating force to separate him from his beloved now (or perhaps just some well placed ice...). He eventually ceased his assault, wrapping Ienzo up in a tight hug and burying his face into his hair. "I'm so happy..." he breathed, enjoying Ienzo's scent now that his nose was tucked into his hair. He squeezed him a bit tighter and declared, "I'll do whatever it takes to make you happy! I promise!"

As Demyx began spinning him around, Ienzo clung tightly to his... boyfriend's? Were they boyfriends now? Regardless, Ienzo clung to Demyx's neck, too shocked to protest. He chuckled softly as the blonde set him back down and began covering him with kisses. Demyx's antics always were amusing, and it wasn't like Ienzo hated the attention or anything. Obviously he didn't mind the name, because honestly he was objectively more used to being called Zexion and cute nicknames were normal in these kinds of circumstances, right? He'd have to think of one for Demyx later.

Ienzo smiled and let Demyx hold him for a few moments, but sooner rather than later he patted the other boy on the back as a message to ease up a little. He  _ was _ squeezing awfully tightly, after all. Much tighter and he'd have trouble breathing. "Let's go get the rest of that cake, then," Ienzo suggested. "Before Xaldin comes back to steal it from us." After all, this cake had  _ kind of _ been the catalyst for the two of them actually confessing their feelings for one another, it would be a shame to let it go to waste. It would be a shame to let any cake go to waste, honestly.

Demyx eased up at the light pat, and pulled back even more when Ienzo began talking. He nodded enthusiastically, not really wanting to even think about the others coming back... "Celebration cake!" he declared, and then was pulling Ienzo off by the hand to the unattended cake. He cut them each a generous slice - much bigger than the ones from before - and passed one to Ienzo. He finally let go of his hand to pick up a fork, but instead of bringing the bite of cake to his own mouth he held it to Ienzo's lips. He would much rather feed his scientist than himself, after all.

Ienzo full-on smirked at the offered forkful of cake. This again. Well, he could hardly complain; it meant he got more cake, after all. And if it wound up being a little messier than if he'd just eaten normally, well, they already had a solution for that~ Ienzo gratefully accepted the offered cake, keeping his gaze trained on Demyx the whole while. He may still be majorly confused about relationships and how this happened without them hating each other, but that didn't mean he hadn't picked up some flirting tips along the way. Once he'd finished the offered bite he retrieved a forkful of his own cake. Rather than eat it himself he held it out to Demyx; it was only fair to share, right~?


	6. Smol Seekers Make Poor Decisions Because They are Bored (or; Why The World That Never Was Needs More Local Entertainment)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Seekers of Darkness have a meeting. Vanitas tries to sleep through it (again).  
> For some reason, this ends in the Smol Seekers™ crashing a party in Disney Town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adding this chapter today as well because it's so short. But we thought the seeker meeting deserved to be its own chapter regardless.
> 
> And don't worry, poor Repliku gets a real name eventually.

Meanwhile, in The World That Never Was, twelve figures filled all but one of thirteen chairs. All of them were adorned in black robes save two; the intimidating, creepy old man who was running the meeting (currently monologuing about something that probably had to do with darkness somehow) and a boy with spiky black hair, who instead wore a strange tight fitting body suit that mimicked the raw muscle tissue of the human form. The boy had been so bored by the goings on he had, in fact, fallen asleep (a habit he had no doubt inherited from Sora).

"...I trust you can do that, Vanitas?"

Silence.

"Vanitas."

Again, nothing.

" _ Vanitas." _

This time, the name was followed shortly by a small projectile. Xehanort had been the one speaking, but the attack came from someone else. Well... Technically they were all Xehanort, but it hadn't come from the  _ same _ Xehanort. Xemnas had fired a small red bolt at the sleeping boy, having been used to dealing with this behavior in the Organization's previous incarnation.

Vanitas started awake, but was otherwise wholly unperturbed by what happened, and completely unapologetic. He stretched and yawned, cracking a few of his knuckles before speaking. "Yeah? What do you need me to do?" He assumed they wouldn't have bothered waking him unless he was being specifically addressed; if he was wrong, they'd just ignore him and keep talking, he didn't care either way.

Luxord seemed amused by his antics, while the youngest Xehanort was clearly unimpressed. The old man wasn't even phased, used to the boy's flippant behavior; his bark was worse than his bite, so he didn't pay it any mind, as long as he followed orders.

"I will need you to create a specific Unversed for a specific world," he repeated.

Vanitas shrugged. "Yeah. Sure, whatever." He played with one of his spikes, still obviously disinterested in what was going on around him. But it was enough of an answer for the old man, he nodded and declared, "Then that is all, you are all dismissed." And with that, he vanished into a dark corridor from where he sat.

"Finally!" Vanitas declared, ignoring the glares he got from some of the others. He portaled out of his chair himself, appearing just outside of the room. Corridors were convenient for world travel and such, but overall he preferred walking. Especially after being stuck inside the universe's biggest idiot for ten years...

Some went straight back to their rooms or wherever they had been, others decided to simply move themselves to the door as Vanitas had. Particularly, the youngest Xehanort appeared just beside him. "You should at least try to pay attention," he scolded, though his face didn't betray any emotion and his tone was perfectly even. Still, Vanitas could tell he was annoyed.

"Yeah, yeah." Vanitas rolled his eyes. "Maybe if someone could learn to say things concisely I would. He's too fond of the sound of his own voice." He paused, and frowned slightly. " _ You're  _ too fond of the sound of your own voice," he corrected.

"I resent that," Xehanort said, but there was a small upturn to the corner of his mouth if you looked closely. He was amused, not offended.

"Come on, Kidanort, ease up~" came the voice of Braig as the one-eyed man slung an arm around the youngest Xehanort's shoulders. He'd been way too amused by Vanitas falling asleep, it would be a shame if the guy actually wound up listening and started paying attention in meetings. "The old man keeps him so busy he might not get any other chance. We need him at his full strength, right?"

A derisive snort came from behind the three. "Vanitas' behavior is deplorable and you know it, Braig," Isa commented, throwing a disapproving glance over the lot of them. His eyes eventually resettled on Braig as he reminded the man, "You have your own task you should be doing, or did you fall asleep during the meeting too?"

"Yeah yeah," Braig answered easily, casually removing his arm from Xehanort's past self. "Catch you later, Kidanort," Braig said in parting, offering a wave before he vanished off into whatever abyss he was going to. It was probably for the best he left then, or he would've called Isa out on lingering by the door waiting for Xemnas.

"I do not look forward to it," Xehanort bluntly deadpanned as Braig vanished. He was not fond of the man, and was continuously boggled why his future self seemed to see some kind of value in him. He loathed the nicknames- the fact that they actually made some conversations easier to follow only annoyed him more.

"Deplorable is what I do best!" Vanitas shot back at Isa. He was easily the only one there dumb enough to try and pick fight with the luna diviner, but miraculously a fight had yet to actually break out, usually due to extremely convenient timing.

And speaking of good timing, it was then that Xemnas himself appeared outside the door, immediately beside Isa. He nodded politely to his younger self and Isa, then gave an admonishing glare to Vanitas. "Next time, I will not aim for your shoulder."

Vanitas shrugged. "Knock yourself out." He wasn't afraid of pain, he practically reveled in it, and he knew he was too valuable to actually kill off; the old man wouldn't have it. Unlike the others, the old man realized there weren't really any effective threats to be used against him, which is why he never wasted effort on scolding over what were - in the end - trivial things.

Isa scowled at Vanitas but made no move to attack him, as tempting as the challenge was. Xemnas was beside him now, so he would wait for any orders regarding the Sora look-alike. It would only take one word, and Isa would bash his face in...

Watching the exchange, Repliku was leaning against the nearest vertical surface. He didn't have any explicit orders for now, and when he didn't have orders he generally found himself gravitating towards the black-haired troublemaker. Part of him hated himself for that because he  _ knew _ it was just because he looked like Sora, but it wasn't like there were many more fun people to hang around. His secondary go-to Xehanort tended to hang around the guy himself. Once the immediate threat of an irritated Isa was gone he'd probably head over, but for now he would stay out of the berserker's warpath.

Xemnas regarded Vanitas coldly. Vanitas stared back. It was hard for him to take the former leader of the Organization seriously, honestly. He understood the guy's relation to the old man, but when he looked at him more than anything he saw  _ Terra _ \- and how was he supposed to be scared of Terra of all people? It just couldn't be done.

Eventually, Xemnas broke his gaze with a small hum and began to walk away. He didn't bother telling Isa to follow, he knew the man would do so unprompted. He had better things to do than attempt to deal with a bratty child. In the end, Vanitas would do what he was told, but the lack of respect grated on him.

Isa threw one last glare Vanitas' way, ever disappointed Xemnas didn't see fit to at least let him get one good punch in. Of course if he got that first hit Isa might not  _ stop _ , but that was probably why the order never came. As expected, Isa followed a few steps after Xemnas, having no intention of leaving the silver-haired Nobody unattended.

The youngest Xehanort shook his head at the exchange, both surprised and not it hadn't escalated. Once Xemnas was far enough away he commented, "One of these days, you are going to regret that mouth of yours."

Vanitas smirked wickedly at the other boy. "Yeah right. Like that'll ever happen." He was being overconfident probably, but even if his words did get him into more trouble than he could handle, he doubted he'd actually regret it.

Repliku pushed off and moved over to the other relatively-his-age members of the new Organization. "I still don't know how you get away with sleeping. I think they would've erased me by now if I tried that," he said with a smirk as way of greeting to Vanitas, giving a respectful nod to Xehanort. The replica knew he was low man on the totem pole in this crew, but it was still better than being dead. The darkness he commanded was worth it. Eventually he would get his revenge on the real thing, but for now he'd definitely have to play nice just to survive.

"You are not a walking army," Xehanort pointed out. Because of his immaturity it was easy to forget just how overwhelmingly powerful Vanitas was, sometimes.

Vanitas grinned and turned around to face his... comrades. Friends were stupid. Only people like his obnoxious other half had friends; he didn't need anything that pointless. "Damn straight," he bragged. "But... you probably don't have to worry too much, we're still one short as it is." He poked the replica in the forehead- personal space was a concept completely beyond Vanitas. "It'd be more trouble than it's worth."

"I sincerely doubt we could find a suitable replacement in time, at this rate..." Xehanort mused. Of the three present, he was the most actually invested in the final goal of achieving Kingdom Hearts. They were already grossly behind schedule, they couldn't afford to lose another vessel when they were still one short...

Repliku made a face and swatted at Vanitas' hand since he, unlike Dark Sora, actually  _ did _ have a concept of personal space. "I'm surprised we haven't tried to turn more of the other members of the old Organization. Some of Sora's other friends must surely be dark enough, right? I still have a hard time figuring out how Axel still hasn't turned," he added to the conversation, grumbling by the time he finished speaking. All that backstabbing and betrayal and he was still trying to play to the side of light? He just didn't get it.

"'Whether his heart is dark or light, he's probably still just bitter about his ex', that's what Luxord said, anyway," Vanitas offered as explanation to Axel's inconsistent behavior. He rather liked Luxord, he was probably the sanest person here (himself included, he would admit) and was often happy to fill Vanitas in on the things he had missed in the last 10 years. In small sentences- ones that didn't end up as hour-long speeches. Also, he gave him alcohol. He did have some ideas of what happened while he was stuck in Sora, but they were patchy and limited to Sora's perspective. And lack of ability to fully understand things. It was frustrating.

Xehanort chose to ignore the comment on their former members' personal lives. "The problem is, they have all flocked together. Before, we were only able to acquire Sora because he had been isolated. As long as they cling to each other it will be difficult to tempt any one away... Besides, now that the original members know they had been lied to, I doubt any of them would be eager to return to us..." True to form, Xehanort rambled on for what was probably longer than necessary. But the subject of finding their thirteenth was surely something wasting breath on.

"Guess you've got a point..." Repliku reluctantly admitted. Honestly, he'd rather get this whole Kingdom Hearts thing done with not because of any promises, but because like Vanitas he was getting kinda sick of all the monologuing. "Doesn't mean we couldn't keep watch to see if any of them break off from the group. If we can't recruit them we could always use them as bait or something." Repliku didn't actually know where he was going with his musings, but meetings always put him in a bad mood where he wanted to take it out on someone by the end. Maybe that was the real purpose of all that monologuing...

"Going to Radiant Garden by ourselves may be unwise..." As much as Xehanort himself was restless - he had always hated staying in one place for too long - storming the enemy base was... well just stupid, honestly. Even if it would be less 'storming' and more 'lurking'... Then again, Sephiroth managed this regularly without problem but... he was  _ Sephiroth.  _ The man so powerful he had actually been  _ politely asked  _ to join their cause, and had not once been bothered since his decline. It had been explained that he needn't even be made into a vessel, since he apparently was already pure darkness, and from the way his elder spoke, perhaps more so than any of them... Ah, but he had gotten off topic. The point was, going to Radiant Garden was no doubt foolish; and even if it was for 'espionage' Vanitas' presence almost guaranteed that wouldn't last.

However, during his inner monologue Vanitas had grown distracted himself, looking lost in thought. Suddenly he perked up, grinning at the other two with a dangerous twinkle in his eye. "We don't have to." Before either of them could ask for clarification he did. "Ventus just left. I know where they're going." Vanitas knew, at all times, precisely where his other half was, and he didn't need a recusant's sigil to do it. It was simply a result of the bond they shared. Ventus could probably track him too, but he knew his lighter half wasn't nearly as adept at such things. Vanitas was so excited his shadow was flickering, Unversed threatening to escape. He couldn't care less about finding their last member, but he was completely on board with the idea of getting to let off some steam. After all, if Ventus was there, so were Terra and Aqua, at the very least. This would be fun...

Repliku grinned, already on board with this plan. At the very least it was something to  _ do _ . "Sounds like we're going there too. So, where to, Vanitas?" he asked, sincerely hoping Riku somehow would be there as well. If they had too much company it would be as dangerous as storming Radiant Garden, but surely  _ all  _ of them couldn't be world-hopping together. If the majority were they could always go after the stragglers in that darkness-forsaken castle. Regardless, this sounded like the perfect opportunity to go after a potential thirteenth vessel.

"Disney Town. Tiny world, nothing special." After all, Vanitas had been there himself many years ago, filling the world to the brim with Unversed. He did recall they had somehow gotten into games rather than fights... It had been a weird place, but whatever. That wouldn't happen with the three of them going there personally.

Xehanort sighed. Well, there was no stopping these two now... Somehow, he seriously doubted they would actually make any headway on acquiring their thirteenth. Vanitas and the replica were just looking for trouble, but there was still a chance something productive might come of this. Besides, someone had to keep an eye on them... "Alright. Let's get going then, shall we?"

Repliku's grin was nothing if not evil. "Yeah, let's."


	7. Lea Swings, He misses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone arrives in Disney Town and no one questions why Lea and Roxas are lagging behind on the ship... except Roxas.  
> Everyone else has icecream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ya'll sorry life's been busy you're gonna get 3 chapters just sort of... all at once sometimes >> sorry bout that.

 

"Looks like we're almost there, guys!" Sora announced, making another fancy maneuver with his ship. There sure were a lot of Heartless out there, but it was nothing Sora couldn't handle. Xion seemed like she either desperately wanted to learn how to fly the ship or just was really excited about ice cream, it was hard to say.

Roxas was cursing fate. And Lea. Mostly Lea. While he hadn't been able to prove it to anyone, he was  _ positive _ the newest Keyblade wielder had conspired to hide the pieces of gummi that would have made the ship large enough for everyone. He was also cursing Xion because she was the only one not in the Paopu Trio who had her own seat. Despite his protests he'd wound up having to share his seat with Lea anyway.

"Do you have to hold so tight...?" Roxas whined, but there wasn't any real bite in it. It was just... embarrassing, being held like this. Like a child. Or a... Roxas forced that train of thought to derail, not wanting to think about where it was heading.

Lea just grinned, resting his chin on Roxas' head. "Well something has to make up for your lack of seatbelt." While it was largely bullshit, it was true that Sora had to jerk around fairly often to avoid incoming attacks. So while he most certainly would be holding on tight to Roxas regardless, he was technically justified in doing so at the moment. He dipped his head down and murmured in Roxas' ear, "Why, you're not uncomfortable, are you, Roxas?" He was close enough that his lips brushed the shell of the smaller boy's ear.

Roxas' face lit up bright red as Lea's lips brushed his ear. He instinctively froze up and tensed, a strange hot chill running down his spine. His instincts screamed for him to get as far away from that insidious voice as he could, but he was quite literally trapped. Once he got his wits about him again Roxas struggled to get out of Lea's grip, turning to glare at the man when he inevitably failed. Of course, with how red his face was, it would hardly be effective.

Lea gave Roxas a triumphant smirk. Oh it was hard holding himself back from doing more than what he had. Roxas was completely at his mercy after all... but someone else was going to notice if he pushed it further, and they couldn't have that. But God Roxas was so cute pouting and blushing like that. He could just lean in and... no no. "Oh come on, Roxas, I'm not  _ that _ bad." He opted for poking his small friend in the cheek instead.

Roxas stuck his tongue out at Lea as the taller man poked his cheek. He then turned around and slumped in his lap, pouting about still being held but glad they were almost at Disney Town so he could flee like he wanted to. Though, knowing his luck, the minute he was free Lea would do something that made him not want to leave his side... the jerk. "Yes you are," Roxas responded petulantly, knowing his response would probably only make Lea laugh at him more. But, well... No, he just wasn't going to think about it. Lea was a jerk and Roxas was going to make better ice cream than him. Yeah, that's what was important.

Lea made no move to let go of Roxas, laughing at the boy’s antics. "You don't mean that." He hugged him tighter, burying his face in blonde spikes again.

Ven was on cloud nine. He was more than happy to take advantage of the opportunity to cuddle with Terra the paired seats provided. He'd really missed this... Ven was just so excited about getting to experience Disney Town with his friends! And he'd make sure Naminé, who had wound up sharing a seat with Aqua, had a great time to make up for Marluxia joining their cause.

Terra was just as happy as Ven, one arm wrapped tightly around his waist and the other playing idly with the boy’s hair. Ven's excitement was contagious so the more he smiled the more Terra did. He had missed this...

Ven was openly loving the attention Terra was paying to him. He was completely relaxed against his tall friend, smiling up at him as a show of appreciation. Oh how he'd missed this... Ten years had been so long to be apart, but now they could be together forever... Ven would've also liked to have been able to be  _ together _ forever, but after ten years he would take what he could get.

Naminé was a bit embarrassed, she felt bad having to share her seat with someone she didn't know as well, but Aqua hardly seemed to mind. Riku was too busy monitoring secondary functions of the ship to do much else, but he was admittedly... just the tiniest bit jealous his and Sora's roles as pilots prevented them from winding up in a similar situation... It was selfish, and he felt like he was taking advantage of Sora just thinking about it, but he couldn't help it. Within the confines of his own mind, surely it was fine to dream of such things, if only a little...

"So, what do you want to do first when we get to Disney Town, Naminé?" Aqua asked the girl in her lap kindly, doing a surprisingly good job at ignoring her cuddly friends. She knew jealousy was pointless, and that Ven had always been closer to Terra than her, but... Well, it wasn't like they were going to separate from each other once they got to Disney Town, so letting them enjoy each other now was fine.

"I'm not sure..." Naminé said with a small smile on her face. Aqua was very kind, she didn't mind her company at all. "But I think no matter what I want, the majority is going to go for ice cream," she laughed lightly, not at all minding the course of action herself.

"Are we ready to land, Sora?" Riku asked, able to see the world through the windshield and all the monitors in front of them indicating that they were close enough to do so.

"Yup!" Sora answered, grinning as Xion began bouncing up and down. He wasn't gonna lie, he was super excited to get to see what Disney Town was like, especially if it had as much ice cream as advertised. After all the stuff they'd been through, they definitely deserved a break like this, and boy was he glad they got to take one.

Kairi herself was getting pretty excited. "We should definitely all go get ice cream first. Everyone agree?" she asked, turning in her seat to face the others. She raised an eyebrow at Roxas and Lea, but didn't say anything, mostly for Roxas' sake. At least she was pretty sure he didn't have a fever or anything, since the flush of his cheeks was probably just a result of Lea teasing him.

"Oh yeah!" Xion agreed, smiling widely. At times like these it was easy to see how she was related to Sora. Surprisingly she'd actually seemed like she'd calmed down a little, but maybe she was just saving some energy for running excitedly through town. Either that or she'd finally burned off all the sugar from the cake and stuff before. It was always kind of hard to tell with her.

Once the ship was properly docked, Sora stood from his chair and stretched, turning to the rest of the group and asking, "All right, you guys ready to get this party started?"

Riku stood as well, having a bit more room in the copilot's seat area than the others did in the back. "You know it." He smiled at Sora and ruffled his hair.

Roxas, meanwhile, was struggling to get out of Lea's grip again. He tried to stretch his head away from Lea's, but his range of movement was severely limited. "Lea, come on, we're gonna miss the ice cream..." he tried to convince his friend. Roxas was still blushing, and it was definitely just because he was embarrassed and not because he was...  _ embarrassed. _ The blonde was resolutely trying to force down the part of him that wanted Lea to keep holding him, because, well... They were going to miss the ice cream! Yeah, that was it. Definitely had nothing to do with the whispering in his ear before, nope. Definitely not.

"Sure!" Naminé smiled sweetly, carefully climbing out of Aqua’s lap and making her way out of the ship. She hopped down, looking around curiously at the new world. It was all bright and colorful and had a somewhat childlike charm.

Terra stood, carefully taking Ven with him and setting the boy on his feet. He guided him forward, letting Ven exit the ship before him.

Aqua smiled and followed her friends and Naminé out of the ship, throwing a knowing smile Lea and Roxas' way. Something told her they wouldn't be seeing all that much of the two for a while unless Sora actually kicked them out of the ship. As the blue-haired woman was leaving, Xion rushed past her, all of the energy that had seemed to be absent before returning full-force. Aqua laughed and hurried after her, the general excitement of the group contagious.

Ven, of course, was practically surgically attached to Terra. He reached behind him to take his friend's hand, wanting to make sure they didn't get more than an arm's length apart. The blonde waved at Aqua and Xion as the two passed them. "Man, it's gonna be so great to get to actually go to Disney Town with you and Aqua," Ven said, smiling brightly up at his brunette friend. Maybe the trip was ten years late, but the fact that it was happening at all left him elated.

Terra squeezed Ven's hand and smiled down at him. "Yeah. The three of us can enjoy it together the right way this time." He was really happy. The three of them were together, able to just enjoy themselves for a change.

Ven beamed back up at Terra, mirroring his happiness. "Yeah! It's gonna be great. You've gotta try the flavor of ice cream they made me, it's really awesome! They made you one too, didn't they? I wanna try it!" he said excitedly, pulling Terra along a little faster. Unlike Sora and Riku, Ven actually  _ did _ know where the ice cream was. He was just so excited to get to spend quality time with his friends after so long... Belatedly, a little ashamed he hadn't thought of it sooner, Ven added, "I wonder what Aqua's tastes like. We've gotta try all the ice cream!"

Terra chuckled at Ven's words. "I'm sure we can all try each other's flavors. Maybe we'll make a new one that's even better." He smiled fondly at the boy. Ven's flavor would still probably be the best, he thought to himself. If it was anything like Ven, it would be perfect. After a moment of internal debate, he shifted their hands so their fingers were laced. He doubted anyone would notice the small change, and if they were going to give them a hard time about holding hands they already would have done so.

Sora grinned and playfully punched Riku in the shoulder. Oh man, he was so pumped for this! "Hey, race you to the ice cream shop!" Sora announced all of a sudden, pushing past Riku and vaulting over a chair. He was obviously gonna run to catch up with Xion and the others anyway, he may as well make it a race! Even after all these years, Sora hadn't learned that doing things like racing Riku never ended with him winning. But hey, it was the fun of the race that mattered. The sooner they got to the ice cream the better!

Kairi sighed and shook her head, smiling at Sora's retreating form. "You guys coming?" she asked, looking first at Riku then to Lea and Roxas. The princess of heart didn't have any intention of making the two former Nobodies leave any earlier than they wanted to, but she figured she may as well give them a reminder. Kairi didn't wait for an answer before she started jogging after her friend, not putting forth the effort to win because she knew she wouldn't.

"Of course," Riku said to Kairi as he vaulted over the chair as Sora had, racing after him without question. There was a flaw in this plan he knew Sora hadn't seen; namely that neither of them actually knew where the ice cream was... but Sora had challenged him and therefore he had to win. That's just how it was. He was out of the ship and running past Sora in a matter of seconds.

"Be right there!" Lea called after Kairi. He then returned his attention to the boy he had trapped in his lap. They were alone now, but he knew they couldn't take too long or they'd rouse suspicion. "Don't worry, I want ice cream too, you know," he said to reassure Roxas. And then he kissed him on the cheek. It wasn't much, but it was enough. He then finally removed his arms from the blonde to let him do as he will, though he had a feeling he might be too shocked to actually get off him right away.

Roxas froze for a split second as Lea's lips met his skin, his mind momentarily short circuiting. Contrary to what the red-head expected Roxas sprang from his lap the moment he was released, but once he was free he didn't make to move further away. It was clear he was still distracted by the kiss, bringing a hand up to gently touch where it had been. That was... It was getting harder and harder to force down his feelings for Lea, especially when he did stuff like  _ this _ . But... Well, this was still all confusing for him. Mostly he was just worried Lea was messing with him, and that Xion... Well, he was still really confused about Xion, too. It was kind of hard to think of anything but the kiss he'd just been given at the moment...

Lea smirked, satisfied Roxas was sufficiently stunned. He stood and slung an arm around his shoulders, guiding him out of the ship. "What's wrong Roxas, I thought you wanted ice cream?" he said, still overly satisfied with himself.

Roxas' shoulders tensed up as Lea's arm went around him, but he was still too stunned to do anything but let the taller man guide him out of the ship. In a way, it was almost like how he'd been guided around when he'd first joined the Organization, and... Roxas blushed even harder as his mind put a romantic spin on everything that had happened between him and Axel. How long had he... Unable to handle his thoughts and the situation anymore, Roxas latched onto the only thing he could think of to get him away from the source of his confusion and embarrassment. "Uh... Yeah! Um, race you to the ice cream!" he said quickly, pulling away from Lea and dashing full speed towards the town square. Or, at least where he thought the town square was. The point was he was very much running away, and it didn't actually really matter where.

Lea blinked, afraid that he had actually pushed things too far... He had expected Roxas to be embarrassed, sure, but not to literally run away from him. "We don't even know where it is!" he called after him as an excuse for his dawdling. He definitely wasn't quite up to racing at the moment... He sighed sadly and followed after his friend; he'd bother with hiding his disappointment when the others were in sight.

Meanwhile, the first members of Team Ice Cream that had left the ship were finally arriving in the square. Despite Sora's minor head start, Riku was  _ way _ faster than him and had beaten him there, even though Aqua had had to call after him that he was going the wrong way once or twice. Sora pouted and slumped over in joking dejection as he whined, "No fair, Riku! How come you always win?"

"He has a lot of practice," Kairi joked, lightly elbowing Sora as she came to stand next to him. It was true, though; all through their childhoods Sora and Riku had raced, and Riku had a  _ lot _ of practice being faster than Sora. It was all in good fun, though. Both she and Riku knew Sora didn't actually hold anything against their silver-haired friend for beating him all the time.

Xion, meanwhile, was practically bouncing up and down. She'd beaten both Riku and Sora to the town square, probably because her ice cream senses were tingling. However, Xion had gotten distracted looking around at the various signs and landmarks, now just as excited about the games as she was about getting to eat as much ice cream as she wanted and could afford. "You guys didn't tell us there were games too!" Xion accused excitedly, addressing her statement to Aqua since Ven and Terra were still lagging behind. How had she never been here before? This place seemed awesome!

"We figured we could play games after ice cream. After all, the ice cream was the main reason we came," Aqua answered, smiling at Xion's enthusiasm. In a way she reminded her of Ven... Of course, so did Sora, and Xion was part of Sora... That whole thing still confused her, but it was fine. Though, speaking of Ven... Aqua looked behind her and spotted her friend dragging Terra along. Smiling, Aqua waved at them and called out, "Come on Ven! Terra, hurry up!"

"Coming!" Ven called back, tugging Terra along a little faster. The closer they got to their true destination the more excited the youngest of the Wayfinder Trio became. It was just so exciting, getting to experience Disney Town with his friends! No matter how many times he came to that realization it still excited him. He wondered if Queen Minnie was around today... Hopefully Pete was giving things a rest.

Terra let himself get tugged along by Ven, smiling sweetly down at the boy. He was just so... Ah, but he shouldn't be thinking about that right now. "What flavor do you want to try first, Ven?" He asked a more prudent question to try and keep his mind off of how adorable his friend was when he was this excited.

Naminé had kept up with Aqua, smiling fondly at the antics of the more energetic members of their group. Today was certainly going to be fun, and even she was excited. "So which place is it?" she asked looking around at all the different colorful buildings.

Riku grinned down at Sora and ruffled his hair again. "Better luck next time. Also, you owe me my first ice cream," he declared. They hadn't officially bet on anything before hand, but he doubted Sora would protest. Besides, ice cream was much cheaper than some of the equipment and items they were used to having to deal with, so it wasn't like it was an outrageous demand.

"Aww..." Sora whined, though it was clearly just because he'd lost and not because he was actually upset. He'd figured Riku would make a demand like that, but it wasn't like ice cream cost a lot anyway. Like Xion and Naminé, Sora turned to Aqua as the resident Disney Town expert and asked, "Yeah, which one of these buildings is it? I've gotta buy Riku his first ice cream." The goofy smile and typical hands-behind-the-head posture had returned. Why waste time being down when there was fun and ice cream to be had?

Aqua chuckled and gestured for the group to follow her over to a building next to a stage with an ice cream banner. "The normal ice cream shop is this way, but if you want to try out the ice cream machine we'll have to get some help," she explained. As expected, Xion bounced up and down, obviously eager to try the fabled ice cream machine, but she figured waiting until they'd talked to people would be fine.

Roxas managed to catch up to the group just as they were beginning to head into the ice cream shop. He quickly scrubbed at his face to try and get his blush to fade before joining up at the very back of the party. He prayed no one would question what had taken him so long to catch up or why he was acting weird. Roxas would definitely need to talk to Xion or someone about the Lea situation now... Every time Lea was near him now, he just... Yeah, he wasn't gonna be able to figure this out on his own, but asking someone for advice was just going to be mortifying... He'd just... ignore it as long as he could for now, and deal with it after they'd all gotten ice cream or something.

Ven hummed as he and Terra entered the ice cream shop after Aqua. "I don't know... There are a whole lot to choose from! Do you know which one you want to try first, Terra?" he asked, figuring he'd just try whatever Terra decided.

"I want to try  _ all _ the ice cream!" Xion chimed in, surprising literally no one. She was looking around in awe at the shop when she wasn't looking to the group for their reactions. Despite her excitement, she was doing a pretty good job of holding herself back from rushing the counter and actually making good on her statement of wanting to try literally all the ice cream ever. Patience was a virtue, after all, and waiting would just make the ice cream all the sweeter.

Kairi giggled at the other girl's enthusiasm. "I think we already figured that out, Xion," she joked as movement came from the room behind the counter. The owner of - or whoever was working - the shop had obviously heard they had customers and was coming out so they could actually order.

"Well, there's some familiar faces!" one Scrooge McDuck greeted as he appeared behind the counter. "What can I get for ye?" he asked after nodding to all the people he knew. There were some unfamiliar faces, and some he hadn't seen in ten years, but he'd recognize this group anywhere. It certainly had been a while...

"One mint and one cookie dough," Riku said, pushing Sora in front of him to pay. He didn't need to ask to know what the boy wanted... Well, maybe Roxas had rubbed off on him enough to have him want seasalt instead... If that was the case Sora could correct him, though he would definitely be disappointed if that happened...

"I think I'd like chocolate chip," Kairi said once it was her turn to order. Something simple, but not too simple, that was her. It took some effort not to laugh at Sora getting pushed to the forefront to pay for his and Riku's, but at least it seemed like Riku had in fact gotten Sora's order right. No sea salt for him, yet anyway.

"Um... I think I just want vanilla..." Naminé said quietly, fishing out the munny necessary. She was sure the others would convince her to try something more adventurous later, but for now she would enjoy something simple.

Terra hummed in contemplation as he tried to decide what flavor he wanted. But in the end... "Rocky road." It was his favorite, he couldn't help it, and it wasn't like he'd properly had any ice cream in ten years anyway (anything Ansem the Wise fed to Xehanort notwithstanding). It was kinda cheesy, almost like a pun on his elemental affinity, but he couldn't help it! It was so good...

Ven grinned up at Terra, completely unsurprised by his choice of ice cream. "Same old same old, huh?" he joked before turning towards the counter to make his own decision. "Hmm... I think I'd like tuxedo strawberry, please," he finally decided. Ven always had liked more fruity ice creams, and two different chocolate chip flavors was always a treat.

Lea slid into the back of the group unnoticed. He didn't let on anything was wrong, allowing himself to look contemplative about what flavor he wanted- as if there was any question. "Sea salt for me!" he called from the back, a small grin on his face. It was a front though; he was really worried he'd actually upset Roxas, and as a result he had refrained from touching the boy at all like he normally would have.

"Sea salt for me, too," Roxas chimed in after Lea, not looking at his friend but not trying to overtly avoid him either. Now that there'd been some distance between them for a time he'd been able to calm down properly, and it wasn't like he had actually  _ minded _ what Lea had done, it was just... embarrassing. And he still wasn't sure he wasn't just being teased. Well, he was obviously being teased, but he wasn't sure if Lea also  _ meant _ it and- He was just gonna stop thinking about it before he started blushing again. Ice cream now, existential crisis later.

"And me!" Xion answered while Roxas got lost in his own thoughts again. Despite her claims of wanting to try everything, sea salt was still her go-to flavor, and if her other two friends were getting it it seemed only natural she complete the trio. There would be plenty of time to try out other stuff later.

Aqua was the last one to order. She was particularly fond of her own flavor, but she kind of wanted to try her friends' flavors as well... Well, it seemed like Ven and Terra were getting their normal ice cream orders, so they'd probably wind up trading special flavors later. She could get whatever she wanted for her first order. "I'd like royalberry, if that's all right," she gave as her order. She really did like that flavor.

"All right, coming up," Scrooge said, having been at this long enough he had no trouble remembering such a volume of orders. He took the money for the first two scoops from Sora, assuming that otherwise everyone was paying their own way. The duck was certainly excited to have so many customers at once, business was booming! Of course, it obviously did well enough if it was still here after ten years, but Scrooge was not one to turn away paying customers. "Am I to assume ye'll be wanting to play Ice Cream Beat later?" he asked amicably, obviously already knowing the answer was yes. Once he'd given out all the orders he'd have to go find those nephews of his...

Riku happily took his mint and immediately began eating it. "Ice cream beat...?" he asked, though he had already assumed it had to do with the 'ice cream gun' outside. Still, he'd like to know exactly what that entailed.

"I think Ven is the expert on that," Terra said. After all, he had spent all his time in Disney Town racing. Ven had been the ice cream specialist. He paid for his, Ven’s, and Aqua's ice cream before either of them could argue with him. It was the least he could do, after all. He took the three cones and passed them out, taking a satisfying bite out of his own once he was done.

"Ice Cream Beat is where you get to make your own ice cream flavors," Ven explained to the group after thanking Terra for his ice cream. He'd intended to pay for his own, but he wasn't going to whine at Terra for doing it for him. After all, Terra always seemed to like doing favors for him and Aqua like that, so it wasn't anything particularly out of the ordinary. Going on with his explanation, Ven continued, "It's a rhythm game, which is where the beat part comes in. The better you do the better the end result. I got pretty good at it when I had to help fix it a while back."

Aqua chose not to comment on the fact that 'a while back' was ten years as she also graciously accepted her ice cream from Terra. She did her best not to frown at the memory of the time they'd lost together; they were together now, and that was what mattered. "Once we finish our ice cream we'd like to play, yes," Aqua told the shop owner, smiling somewhat wryly. She knew Scrooge was already planning on setting it up; with Xion around there was no way they weren't going to wind up playing, after all. That much was apparent to pretty much everyone.

"All right, I'll go find the nephews and get on setting that up. You all enjoy yer ice cream," Scrooge said as he finished handing out the last of the ice cream. A good business day, indeed. With a polite nod to the crew, he headed out of the shop to find Huey, Dewey, and Louie to get the game set up.

Lea just waited quietly in line to pay for and received his ice cream. He knew if he was too quiet the smarts ones in the group would notice something was wrong, but he was having trouble bringing himself to care. He had never considered Roxas rejecting him before... He'd always assumed the smaller boy had whole-heartedly (was that a pun?) returned his feelings. But now it seemed like he might have been wrong... What would he do then? Commiserate with Riku? Suddenly the image of them both sitting on a couch eating ice cream straight out of the tub while watching Netflix popped into his head. No, he wouldn't let that happen (he left off the again; when he and Saïx had officially ended it it hadn't been pretty, and he had spent more time moping around with Demyx than he cared to admit)... but what could he do now?

Xion, meanwhile, had noticed Lea's odd behavior. There was something sad in his eyes, no matter how much his smile tried to hide it... "Hey, are you all right?" she asked softly as she came to stand next to him, touching his hand lightly with hers. They had ice cream now, everyone should be happy. Whatever it was, she was sure they could figure it out.

Roxas couldn't figure out if he wanted to look at his friends or away from them. He was still... off, from the ki- ...from what happened earlier. Of course, he would be lying if he said he didn't want to apologize to Lea for running off like that, but could anyone really blame him? He was embarrassed! All he'd needed was some time to calm down and pull himself together... Feelings were hard. It had been so much easier to write them off as nothing when he hadn't had a heart, but... Well, now he was going to have to acknowledge them sooner or later, but he was very resolutely on the 'later' side. Electing to compromise with his conflicted feelings, Roxas spotted a table by the window and gestured to his friends. "Hey, Lea, Xion, let's go sit down," he said, pointing to where he meant but not moving towards the table just yet. He had a plan, and... he could always back out of it, as long as he let the others go first...

Lea looked a bit surprised that Xion had caught him. He didn't know why; if anyone was going to, it would be her. He wasn't sure if he'd have been honest with her if they were alone or not... but he definitely couldn't say anything about what was going on now, so he didn't bother thinking about it. "You caught me! I actually got a little motion sick, was hoping no one'd noticed," he lied. "Come on, Roxas is right, let's sit down," he said, pulling her towards the table before she would have a chance to call him on his bullshit. He sat at the table across from her, giving Roxas his space and letting him move at his own rate, for a change.

And Roxas, well... Roxas was still conflicted. He followed his friends over to their selected table and wound up lingering for just a moment instead of sitting down. Xion noticed, and between Roxas not seeming to want to pick a seat and Lea's weird behavior earlier she started putting some of the pieces together. She hadn't believed Lea's lie about motion sickness from the get-go, anyway. Xion threw Roxas an expectant look, urging him to pick a seat already and stop being dumb about things.

Once Xion threw him the look Roxas immediately took his seat, electing to sit next to Lea instead of across from him. He did want to be close to Lea, but he... wasn't sure he'd be able to look him in the eyes just then. The incident on the ship was just too fresh in his mind for him to not be embarrassed by it quite yet. Instead of saying anything, Roxas just ate his ice cream, pretending that was why he wasn't talking.

"So what flavors are you guys gonna try next? I'm gonna definitely play the ice cream game when it's up and running," Xion said to break the silence. Her friends could be such dorks sometimes... Not that she couldn't be just as bad, of course. She and Roxas had certain things in common, after all...

"Hmm..." Lea looked up at the ceiling as he thought hard about the question, trying to ignore how off Roxas still was. "Dunno- maybe one of those special flavors they made for the new kids?" He actually really wanted to try 'blue moon' but that would be happening on a separate trip when he was absolutely sure no one else was around to see him.

Xion was still trying to figure out what the weird feeling she had was. Both of her friends were acting really strange... It was kind of concerning, actually. They'd been getting along fine on the ship, but now- Aha. The ship. All of a sudden everything clicked into place; the two of them  _ had _ lagged suspiciously behind when there was ice cream waiting, after all. Leaning her head on one of her hands and giving her two friends a knowing look, Xion took a lick of her ice cream and asked, "So, did you guys have fun on the ship?"

"Wh-What makes you ask that?" Roxas asked, failing to hide the nervousness in his voice as he forced a smile onto his face and looked resolutely away from Lea. Xion's grin widened, knowing she'd struck the nail on the head. She'd noticed the two of them had been flirting the whole way there, even if she had been a little preoccupied with her desire for ice cream and been distracted by how cool it was to fly through space. Lea must have taken advantage of the opportunity having a chance to be alone with Roxas presented.

"Oh, no reason," Xion insisted lightly. She may have been Sora's clone, but she'd hung around Lea enough to have picked up on a thing or two. Satisfied she knew why her friends were acting weird, Xion returned to her ice cream, content to let the two of them try to work out whatever had happened on their own. It was rude to pry too much, after all, and she couldn't deny she was just the tiniest bit jealous... Maybe next time she'd be able to get a chance alone with Lea or Roxas instead.

Lea watched the conversation carefully. He tried to make sense of Roxas' reaction, but he was probably going to overthink things too much to glean anything accurate. Still, he seemed more embarrassed than actually upset... That was a good thing, right? Right. Xion was onto them... Well him, really, but she didn't seem put off, so that was a good thing. "So what kind of ice cream are you going to try to make, Xion?"

"I'm gonna try mixing sea salt with all the flavors!" she reminded them excitedly, completely letting the issue of the ship go. Ice cream was more important than worrying about stuff like that, at least for now. She took a lick of her ice cream so it wouldn't drip and then asked, "What about you guys? What kind of flavors are you guys planning on making?"

Roxas hummed in thought. What kind of ice cream  _ would _ he try to make? "I don't know... I'm so used to sea salt I can't really imagine anything else being quite as good... I'm sure I'll figure something out, though," he finally decided, sort of. Maybe if he wasn't so distracted because of his proximity to a certain fiery redhead... Sheesh, he really needed to get himself together.

In the meantime Sora had already claimed a table and dug into his ice cream. Cookie dough really was his favorite, Riku knew him well. The adults on the islands were always telling him not to eat raw cookie dough, but no one could stop him from eating it in ice cream form! "Mm, this is really good! I'm glad we decided to come here," he praised, thoroughly enjoying his ice cream. As per the usual, he'd already made something of a mess of his face, but at least there wasn't ice cream in his hair. Yet.

"It really is. Thanks for inviting us, Ven," Kairi said to the boy in question, eagerly - but much more cleanly - digging into her own ice cream.

"Thanks for flying us here," Ven answered. He was looking around for a table for him and the rest of the Wayfinder Trio, but he wasn't sure which one to sit at. He also idly wondered where Naminé was going to sit, unsure if he should invite her over to their table or not. She was sort of the odd one out...

Meanwhile Riku was laughing at the state of Sora's face, not that he was surprised. Honestly, he found it cute. "Sora, you..." he managed between chuckles before he gave up and just reached over, trying to wipe it off with his thumb. Though there was too much for that alone, so he found himself moving finger after finger trying to get it all and slightly regretting not just getting a napkin. "Really, could you be any messier?" he asked with a smirk before he began to lick his hand clean. It was a small consolation for... Well, even if they had been alone he wasn't sure he'd actually have it in him to lick it right off his face like he desperately wanted to; Sora probably wouldn't question it in the slightest, but because of that he would still feel like he was taking advantage of him...

Sora grinned back at Riku, letting his friend clean his face off. "Wanna see me try?" he teased, taking another bite of his ice cream. Thankfully for Riku Sora didn't quite have Lea's dirty mind, so he was unaffected by the silver-haired boy licking the ice cream off his fingers. Kairi raised her eyebrow at it, but they'd been friends for so long that it honestly seemed fairly normal.

"Don't make me go get napkins, Sora," Kairi teased back. She'd probably wind up going to get napkins anyway, if not for Sora than herself, but it was the thought that counted. It was like old times, back on the islands... Sometimes she really missed those days. But, they were together now, and that was what mattered. As she went to take another bite of her ice cream, she spotted Naminé standing by herself looking lost and called her over. "Hey, Naminé! You should come sit with us," she invited, having a feeling the girl would spend the whole trip standing alone if she didn't.

Naminé nodded, not wanting to be rude and turn herself down even if it was her instinct to avoid the hero of light. She sat between Riku and Kairi, keeping her head low and focusing on her ice cream. Of course, even if she was Kairi, she was certainly less used to this kind of behavior from the dark hero, so she gave him a bit of a look.

"...What?" he asked, pausing and pulling his fingers out of his mouth in order to speak.

Naminé hesitated for a moment and then said with a straight face, "...I never thought you'd have something like that in common with Lea."

Riku's face turned red at the insinuation, suddenly realizing how suggestive he had probably looked. "I wasn't...!" he protested, words suddenly failing him. Oh, had he been  _ trying _ to be sexual about it, he was sure he'd have the whole table blushing right now. But it had in no way been his intention to try and... what, seduce Sora? Tease him? Get a rise out of him? And the fact that Naminé had actually thought he  _ had  _ been doing that was absolutely mortifying. And worse she said it  _ right in front of Sora.  _ Sora didn't need to know about his feelings. At all. Ever. He had Kairi, and Riku had long ago resigned himself to unrequited love. It was fine, as long as Sora and Kairi were happy. The last thing he needed was them finding out over something like  _ this.  _ Fortunately he was fairly confident he could play it off as a joke once he'd actually calmed down...

"Huh? What does Riku have in common with Lea?" Sora asked, oblivious to the suggestive nature of Riku licking his fingers clean. That kind of thing was something he understood a lot better when playing games like Cards Against Humanity, it seemed. And Riku's response had been so weird... Well, surely someone would explain it, and if not it probably wasn't anything worth worrying about.

Kairi, meanwhile, just shook her head. She knew all too well Riku had more than just friendly feelings towards their brunette friend. And if Riku was off on his own Sora would stop at nothing to track him down... Honestly, sometimes she felt a little left out. If Sora wasn't so oblivious things might be a little easier, but... Well, she wouldn't worry about it for now. They were supposed to be having fun, right? "She just means Riku likes teasing you a lot, Sora," Kairi said as an explanation, not  _ entirely _ avoiding the truth. The redhead chuckled lightly as Sora stuck his tongue out at her.

"You've been teasing me more than Riku," Sora whined at her, swiping some ice cream from his cone onto his finger and trying to reach over and put it on her nose. At Kairi's leaning away and protest of 'Sora, gross!' Sora grinned and switched his target to Riku, trying to catch him off-guard and put the ice cream on his nose instead.

Riku was just a bit too slow to dodge Sora's assault. "Hey!" he protested. He stared cross-eyed at the ice cream on his nose for a brief second before smirking up at Sora. "That's it." Immediately he had scooped up some of his own mint and was smearing the green treat across Sora's face, nevermind he had just spent all that time cleaning Sora up, this was war.

Naminé laughed at the boys' antics. It was hard to feel out of place when so many shenanigans were happening.

Terra claimed a table without any of the hesitation Ven had, simply sitting at the one closest to them that was unoccupied. He smiled at his friends, waiting for them to join him.

Aqua and Ven sat down with Terra and dug into their ice cream. After he'd cleaned off the edges of his cone, Ven commented, "That looks good, Aqua. What flavor is it?" It was really blue, like Aqua's hair. Probably had something to do with the berry part of its name if he remembered right.

Aqua smiled at Ven and answered, "It's called royalberry. That's the flavor Queen Minnie made for me during the festival." The bright smile Ven gave her made her heart melt. She was so happy he was still able to smile like that...

"I guess I know what I'm trying next, then," Ven replied, returning to his own ice cream. He paused before his next lick, a thought occurring to him. "What's your flavor called, Terra?" he asked, eager to know so he could try that too. When prompted he'd share the name of his own flavor, but that wasn't quite on his mind just yet.

"Rockin' Crunch," he answered, taking another bite of his current cone. "What's yours Ven?" He smiled, completely oblivious to the drama happening at the other two tables.

"Mine's called Double Crunch," Ven supplied cheerily as he took another lick of his ice cream at hand. He paused and raised an eyebrow at nothing in particular as he added, "The name always confused me because there wasn't really anything crunchy in it." It had been absolutely delicious, of course, but that didn't explain the name.

Aqua hummed in thought. "Well, I'm sure it'll be delicious anyway," she finally decided on saying, returning to her own ice cream. The keyblade master offered Terra a wry smile and commented, "I suppose neither of us are surprised by yours, Terra. Tried and true as always." Him and his rocky ice cream. It was nice to see some things never changed.

Terra blushed a little and rubbed the back of his neck. "Heh, yeah..." It was a bit embarrassing, but he couldn't help it that he was kinda predictable. Besides, it wasn't like he'd been the one to name his ice cream. "Well, it tastes good, at least I think so..."

"I'll be the judge of that," Ven proclaimed, grinning knowingly at his friend and looking quite proud of himself. After all, he had every intention of trying Terra's flavor, and Aqua's too. He was about to say something else when a commotion at the table next to them started.

When war was declared, it was all-out war. Sora leaned away from Riku's assault, but of course Riku had just a bit of reach on him so his face got covered in mint ice cream anyway. He laughed as he swung his own ice cream Riku's way, aiming to cover as much of his friend in the treat as he could reach. Sora was practically falling out of his seat trying to keep Riku at bay, and probably by the end of their war he'd wind up falling on the floor. Of course, if he did that Riku would invariably be pulled down with him.

Kairi laughed at her friend's antics. Some things never changed... She shielded her own cone of ice cream from the fight so it wouldn't get contaminated with the flying treat. Kairi turned to Naminé and said, "Hey, let's go get some napkins, before they cover us in ice cream, too." She had no intention of stopping the boys, but Naminé had a white dress and she wasn't too eager to get covered in ice cream herself. Besides,  _ someone _ was going to need to clean up this mess.

"Yes, you're right," Naminé quickly agreed, standing up and moving out of range of the boys' roughhousing. She thought it was sweet, really. They were always like this, it seemed.

Riku did his best to dodge Sora's attack, but he didn't quite make it unscathed, ice cream getting smeared on his arm. He exchanged a few 'blows' with his spiky haired friend, both of them getting covered in the tasty treat. In the end they did wind up on the floor, Sora falling out of his chair and pulling Riku down with him. Riku wound up on top of course, wasting no time in using this to his advantage and pinning Sora down, smearing more of his ice cream on his face. "Ha!" He grinned. "Looks like I win again," he declared triumphantly, too caught up in the moment to be embarrassed by their position. That wouldn't last long, however.

"Hey, get a room already!" Lea called out when the scuffle had finished. He was more than happy to take out his own relationship problems on someone else.

Riku's face went red and he was off Sora in seconds, kneeling at his feet and turning to glare at Lea. "Like you can talk!" he shot back.

Lea batted his eyes innocently. "Why, whatever do you mean, Riku?" he challenged, doubting the keyblade master would have the patience or the guts to challenge him.

"Oh no, you don't get to play dumb," Riku said, wiping as much of the ice cream off his face with the back of his hand as he could to be able to appear at least somewhat intimidating. "You were  _ all over  _ Roxas," he snapped, smirking condescendingly. He knew that Lea knew his feelings for Sora were  _ not  _ public knowledge and were  _ not  _ something to be trifled with. If Lea was going to go around dragging his dark secrets into the light of day, he was damn sure going to do the same. It was petty, but... this was the  _ one thing  _ that could really get to him still.

Lea frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could he was interrupted. "Both of you stop it! It doesn't matter..." Both keyblade wielders turned and looked at Naminé. It might have passed as just teasing or joking to the untrained eye, but she knew both were picking at very sensitive areas and well on their way to a full on fight breaking out.

Terra just sighed from where he sat, watching the commotion escalate and then fizzle. Ah yes, this was the boy he had chosen- the one who inherited his will and keyblade. Covered in ice cream and arguing about boys.

Sora had sat up slightly and braced himself on his arms when Lea interrupted them, pouting at the redhead. Why'd he have to go and ruin all the fun... Sora lamented the loss of his chance to cover more of Riku's face with ice cream by using his own face. He was going to turn the tide of battle with that move! But it didn't matter now, Riku and Lea were fighting... Honestly Sora was tempted to throw more ice cream at Riku just to get his attention back.

Roxas groaned and hid his head in his arms, slumping onto the table. He had  _ just _ been starting to recover from the gummi ship incident and now his face was scarlet again. Was there anyone who  _ didn't _ know about him and Lea? Probably not. At least not as far as Lea's feelings towards Roxas... The guy was pretty open about them, after all, even if he thought he was being subtle. As evidenced by Riku's claims... Roxas regretted that he'd reacted the way he had, because he just  _ knew _ he was going to get teased over this somehow later. Why did this always happen to him... Especially when he was struggling with his own feelings...

Xion blinked and looked between Lea and Riku. This fight... made no sense. Riku liked Sora and Lea liked Roxas, right? If not like-liked then just liked, so... Her musings were interrupted by Naminé telling the boys not to fight. She was right, they shouldn't be fighting at a time like this, at least not fight-fighting. "Naminé's right. We're supposed to be having fun, right? You guys need to chill out..." she chimed in, fighting the urge to tap Roxas on the head and ask if he was okay. It was pretty obvious he was just embarrassed about Riku's comment about him, though. At least that's what she assumed.

"Sorry..." Riku apologized quietly to Naminé as he took the napkins she offered him to help clean himself. He already felt bad, getting involved in such a petty argument in front of everyone, but Lea  _ had  _ started it. He didn't even mean just now; ever since the end of the mark of mastery exam he'd been giving him and Sora a hard time about how they acted around each other and he had wanted to punch the snark off his face. He stood and offered a hand to Sora, pointedly addressing Kairi and Naminé as he did. "Thanks for the napkins," he said, using it as an excuse for not looking Sora in the eye at the moment.

Naminé sighed. "Just keep it together next time, ok?" she admonished lightly, but she was smiling. More anger now wouldn't solve anything after all, and she knew deep down more than anything Riku was actually hurting...

Sora willingly took Riku's hand and let his friend help him to his feet. He was still kinda bummed their roughhousing had been cut short, though, and it showed on his face. "Thanks Kairi, Naminé," he said to the girls helping clean up. "Man, now I'm all out of ice cream..." he whined as he tried to wipe some of the dessert out of his clothes. He was probably going to need to change or something, but that wasn't really all that difficult an endeavor.

"And whose fault is that?" Kairi joked, smirking as she took yet another napkin and started trying to wipe off some of the ice cream that still lingered on her friend's face. They weren't the world's best napkins... "You and Riku should probably go wash up in the bathroom, or we'll be here all day trying to clean you both up," she finally suggested. After all, her own ice cream was melting, and that would make even more of a mess if she didn't get back to it. And they were making almost  _ no _ progress with getting Sora clean.

Sora grinned in a goofy half-apologetic way. "Sounds like a plan to me. You coming, Riku?" he asked. After all, Riku needed cleaning up too, and maybe he could get his revenge on Riku winning the ice cream fight by starting a splash fight in the bathroom or something.

Riku finally looked back to Sora and his heart melted, unable to stay upset when looking at that sweet smile. "Yeah." He smiled and made his way to the men's room, knowing Sora would be right behind him. Once there he did his best to use a combination of paper towels and water to blot the ice cream out of his clothes, but it was easier said than done. This might take a while...

Naminé just shook her head with a small smile. She finally sat down at the table and continued enjoying her own ice cream. She said but one word, " _ Boys. _ "


	8. Homoerotic Splash Fights and Repression

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ice cream winds up in more people's faces that stomachs.  
> Sora is oblivious and Riku has self esteem issues. (what else is new?)  
> Roxas judges everyone's life choices.

Lea huffed and turned back to Roxas who... was hiding himself the best he could at the table. His shoulders slumped; he could fight with Riku all day (some part of him was still irrationally bitter that he had more or less been the end of Roxas) but he hadn't wanted Roxas to get dragged into it. "...Aw cheer up! At least  _ we _ still have all our ice cream, right?" He tried cheering the boy up, giving him an amicable pat on the back- nothing that would push too many boundaries.

Roxas was still trying to get himself together. It was easier with everyone else not paying attention to him anymore... Outside his own trio, anyway. "I guess you've got a point..." Roxas admitted, sitting up slightly and trying to force his face back to its normal temperature. He started to turn to Lea to say something when something caught his eye.

Xion was smirking at him. Initially Roxas thought she might be intending to taunt him about the fight just then, but something in her posture clued him in to her real intention. "Xion no," he immediately said, staring at her and resolutely trying to silently convey that starting an ice cream fight at their table was not the best course of action. Xion's grin widened. " _ Xion no. _ "

Lea, meanwhile, was seriously debating the pros and cons of siding with Xion on this one. On the one hand, he was sort of already in hot water with Roxas, on the other, he would get to lick ice cream off of Roxas... He sighed, disappointed that he knew he had to be responsible for a change; it was definitely in his best interest to side with Roxas at the moment. "Xion, do you really want to waste ice cream on something that's not eating it?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, hoping this would be enough to convince the girl to stand down. If she didn't then... Well, he had taken Roxas' side  _ and  _ would still maybe get to eat ice cream off him. It was win-win.

Xion pouted as she considered her options. On the one hand, she had Sora's penchant for roughhousing and really did want to start an ice cream fight. On the other hand... Well, wasted ice cream was a tragedy, and she wasn't sure she could justify it. Hmm, what to do, what to do... In the end, Xion sighed and backed down, somewhat disappointed that she didn't get to play around with her friends because the only way to was with tasty treats. "No..." she admitted. Well... Maybe, if there was a flavor she wound up not liking later that she wasn't going to eat anyway, they could come back to her evil plot...  _ Something _ had to break the weird tension between Roxas and Lea.

"So anyway..." Lea began awkwardly, drumming his fingers on the table and eating what was left of his cone. It took a moment for him to come up with something intelligent to say, but he managed. "I wonder what kind of stuff they have here besides ice cream..." Terra and Aqua made it sound like they had played games without ever coming across the ice cream one, so there were probably other attractions right? They wouldn't be as good as an ice cream gun, but it was something to talk about.

Xion's eyes lit up at the mention of other games. "We should go check them out later," she suggested excitedly, completely forgetting about her desire to start an ice cream fight with her friends. Games were always fun.

"We should try the ice cream one first, though," Roxas added, sitting up a little straighter as he calmed down more. Now that the immediate danger had seemingly passed, he was a lot more at ease. And, well... Despite his embarrassment, he still wanted to hang around with his friends. The conflicting feelings were stressful, but... Well, they'd get to play games soon, that would be a good way to work off some of the stress, right?

Lea nodded in agreement to Roxas' statement. "Definitely." And then his face turned into a mischievous smirk. "Speaking of... Maybe we should set a little wager, hm? Whoever wins Ice Cream Beat gets..." He paused. He didn't want to push things again, but at the same time not doing anything wasn't going to get either of them anywhere. "...Let's say, it can be a tiebreaker for the card game?" He smirked, carefully gauging his small friend’s reaction. He wouldn't force him into anything if it really bothered him, obviously, but even though Roxas had seemed put off he still hadn't outright rejected him... It was about time to test the waters again, he decided.

"Hey, hey, I want in on the bet, too!" Xion protested, feeling a little left out from before. If they were going to be making wagers on things like ice cream she wanted her shot at winning a prize!

Roxas was more than willing to humor Xion's interruption if it meant he didn't have to look at Lea's expression. He just  _ knew _ he'd go right back to blushing if he did. "All right, Xion, what'll you give us if you lose and what do you want if you win?" he asked, electing not to share exactly what the bet had been for before. Just thinking about it was embarrassing...

Xion hummed as she debated her options. It would regrettably have to be reasonable or they wouldn't agree to it, so... Hmm... "If I lose,  _ which I won't _ , then... I'll give you... Uh... Oh, I know! I'll pay for the next round of ice cream!" she finally settled on, seeming quite proud of herself for finally figuring something out. Her beaming expression turned a bit smug as she continued, "But if and  _ when _ I win, I want both of you to kiss me on the cheek!" Yep, that was what she wanted. It wasn't fair that Roxas and Lea got them each to themselves, they were supposed to be a trio...

Rather than be embarrassed further, Roxas found himself chuckling. "You've been spending too much time with Lea, you're starting to think alike..." he jokingly admonished, smiling at his dark-haired friend. "A tiebreaker for the card game it is." Roxas' friends sure did seem to like trying to convince him to kiss them... Well, one little kiss should be...  _ mostly _ harmless, and it wasn't like Roxas intended to lose to either of them anyway. He was going to get  _ so _ much ice cream out of this.

Lea couldn't help but smile at Xion's demands. He wondered if she had found out what his and Roxas' bet was, or if hers was something similar out of coincidence... It didn't really matter either way, he supposed. Roxas had agreed to the tiebreaker without any resistance, so that was a good sign. He smirked. "Well then, it's settled!" He punctuated the statement by slamming his hand onto the table.

"I wonder if the shop owner is having trouble finding his nephews..." Aqua mused once everything seemed to have calmed down some, looking in the direction the duck had left. It seemed like it had been a while, but maybe it hadn't... She was pretty much done with her ice cream now, and Aqua figured it would probably be best for the group if they had something else to do to prevent more ice cream fights from breaking out.

Ven, however, had been waiting for Aqua's attention to be diverted. He quickly looked between his friends before taking a small swipe of ice cream and trying to put it on Terra's nose. Hit or miss he had every intention of returning to eating his ice cream as though nothing had happened before Aqua's attention returned to him.

Terra blinked in confusion. He had been hit dead on, having in no way expected an attack to come from Ven. He just... didn't know what to do. He stared cross-eyed at his nose for a moment before wiping the smear off his face and licking it off his fingers. He looked at his friend and debated for a moment before deciding to hell with it. "Ven," he called to get the boy to look his way as he reached out to smear his own ice cream across the boy's cheek. Aqua was going to kill them.

Aqua looked back to her two friends as Terra called out Ven's name. Ven, of course, completely fell for Terra's call and got the ice cream smeared all over his face. The blonde was about to laugh before Aqua called their attention to herself. " _ Boys _ ," she admonished, staring them down. "Ven, honestly, you're as bad as Sora," she began, and then turned to Terra. "And Terra, shame on you for covering Ven's cheek in ice cream when you haven't gotten the ice cream off your own cheek first." Her expression betrayed none of her full awareness that there was not in fact any ice cream on Terra's cheek at that moment.

Terra just looked at Aqua confused. "But I did clean it off first..." he said dumbly, not at all understanding what his blue haired friend was getting at. He was still off guard assuming that now that Aqua had caught them she wouldn't let them continue with their antics anytime soon.

Ven raised an eyebrow at Aqua, equally confused by her statement. He neglected to wipe the ice cream off his cheek as he questioned, "But... I put ice cream on his nose, not his cheek, Aqua. What ice cream are you talking about?"

It took every ounce of self-control Aqua had not to smirk. Ven had set her up perfectly and he had no idea. Her friends were so cute when they were mirroring confused expressions like that... "I'm talking about the ice cream right..." Aqua began, scooping some of the dregs of her ice cream cone out with her fingers and quickly moving to swipe them across Terra's cheek. He was off-guard enough that she was confident she wouldn't miss. "...here!"

Terra stared at Aqua in utter shock. She... She was supposed to be the responsible one! She wasn't supposed to participate in things like ice cream fights! She... Well, now that the floodgates had been opened, there was no turning back. "Oh. So  _ that's  _ how it is. I see." And within a second he had scooped some his own ice cream onto his fingers and was trying to smear it across Aqua in retaliation.

Kairi couldn't tell where she should be watching, the active ice cream fight or the one that failed to break out at the seasalt table. She sighed and shook her head, but smiled as she turned to Naminé and said, "I guess everyone's about as hopeless as Sora and Riku." Feeling as though her fate was inevitable, Kairi took a swipe of her own ice cream and stuck it on her own nose, figuring it may ward away any further attacks towards her person with the sweet treat.

Aqua squeaked in protest and leant away, laughing as she tried to avoid Terra's assault. Ven, however, took advantage of Aqua's distraction with Terra to get up and put a spot of ice cream on Aqua's nose. "Oh nooo!" she whined jokingly, quickly rubbing the spot off her nose before getting up and trying to chase Ven down in retaliation. The blonde hid behind Terra, Aqua laughing as he cried out, "Terra, protect me!" It seemed even the Wayfinder Trio was not immune to the lure of an ice cream fight.

"You can count on me, Ven!" Terra declared despite the fact the current battle broke out because  _ Ven  _ had attacked  _ him.  _ Of course, before anything could escalate Scrooge came back, and he turned his attention to the elderly duck.

Scrooge McDuck returned to his post behind the ice cream shop's counter. He seemed unperturbed by the mess at Kairi's table and the antics of the Wayfinder Trio as he alerted everyone, "Took me some time, but I found the boys. Ice Cream Beat is up and running whenever ye want to go give it a whirl." It sure seemed like everyone was having fun... But, hadn't there been more of them before?

Ven giggled as Aqua's attention turned to Scrooge, an apologetic smile finding its way to her face. They  _ had _ made a bit of a mess... "I'm sorry about the mess," Aqua apologized for the group, willing to be the responsible adult for them. After all, she had been supposed to stop the fight in her own group from starting, but she wanted to have fun with her friends... Aqua's fears were allayed when Scrooge spoke up, however.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, comes with the business," the duck said, bringing a mop and bucket out from behind the counter and beginning to clean around the table Kairi and Naminé were still sitting at. "Compared to the shop after Pete came through this is nothing, don'tcha worry your pretty head about it, aye?" Really, all things considered there wasn't actually that much of a mess. It was really only one table, since the Wayfinder fight was more contained.

Ven smiled, glad to leave the cleanup mess to Scrooge. "Come on, Aqua, let's go play Ice Cream Beat!" he said, gesturing to her and taking Terra's hand to drag him along. He was going to have so much fun teaching them how to play!

Lea grinned as well, eager to settle the bet that had just been made official. "All right! Time to shoot some ice cream!" He stood from his seat and finished the last few bites of his cone before smiling down at his two friends. "Ready?"

Xion was already headed out the door. "Come on guys, let's go!" she called after her friends, eager to be the first one to get a chance at the game. She'd finished her ice cream quickly once she'd heard that the game was ready. She had this game in the bag, she was  _ so _ going to win! Ice cream was her specialty.

Roxas shook his head, chuckling as he grinned at Xion's retreating figure. He looked over to Lea and said, "I guess we'd better get going. If we don't get to play Xion wins by default, after all." Not that he'd particularly mind... Well, part of him wouldn't mind however the bet wound up, but he'd still prefer to win. He thought. Roxas resolutely tried to ignore the part of him that wanted to lose because it was embarrassing admitting that he wouldn't mind if he had to kiss one of his friends... It would just be easier on him if he won, so he'd win. Yeah. Roxas stood and started heading out so Lea would hopefully miss the blush that was starting to form on his cheeks again.

Kairi looked around after wiping off her nose. She'd been about to head outside too, but... "Hey, where are Sora and Riku? They haven't come back yet..."

"I have a bad feeling..." Naminé sighed, only beginning to imagine what the other two would have gotten up to. Well, she would go look for them, but they were in the  _ men's  _ room. So she turned to her not quite brother. "Roxas, could you go check on Sora and Riku?" she asked.

Lea blinked away from his current conversation and began to volunteer himself. "I'll-" But the look Naminé gave him clearly said there was a reason she had asked Roxas and not him. She didn't want Lea and Riku getting into an actual fight. "...go ahead with Xion. See ya!" And with that he started making his way outside.

Roxas blinked at Naminé, pausing on his way out the door. Oh right, Sora and Riku were still missing... Like Naminé, he realized it was probably better if Lea wasn't the one who went to check on them, and Roxas could probably use a moment to himself anyway... "Oh, all right. I'll catch up with you guys later, Lea," Roxas said, waving at his friend before jogging off in the direction of the bathroom.

Sometime earlier Sora had headed into the bathroom to try and clean the ice cream out of his own clothes. Like Riku, he was having a bit of trouble actually managing it... Yeah, his clothes were definitely gonna need to be washed. Sora looked over to Riku to say something, but then noticed his friend had ice cream in his hair. He smirked mischievously, already having a plan on what to do about that. "Hey Riku, you've got ice cream in your hair," was Riku's only warning before Sora got a handful of water and threw it at his friend's head. That would help get the ice cream out, right~?

Riku had turned his head just in time to get a face full of water. He stared down at Sora before his face split into a dangerous smirk. "Oh, so that's how it is, huh?" He splashed as much of the water from the faucet at Sora as he could gather, similarly aiming for the boy's face. It was just the two of them now, so they could roughhouse all they wanted without Kairi and Naminé trying to break it up or Lea making stupid comments. This was perfect.

Sora too received a face full of water. "Oh it is  _ on _ !" he declared, scooping up more water from the faucet and chucking it at his friend. At the same time, he fought to keep Riku from getting close enough to the faucet to be able to counterattack. Riku may have won the ice cream fight, but he was not going to win the water war! Kairi could eat her ice cream in peace all she wanted, this was way more fun.

Riku beat Sora's guard the faucet strategy by simply turning on the one next to it. He kept splashing at his friend, and it didn't take long before they were both sopping wet. He took a step to dodge an incoming attack, but slipped on the now equally wet floor, falling flat on his ass. "Woah!" He hadn't hurt himself, but he had put Sora in an advantageous position; his sink was out of reach from here.

Sora wasted no time in taking advantage of Riku's quite literal slip-up. The brunette sat on his friend to keep him from getting up before reaching up and getting a handful of water, dumping it on Riku's head in the next moment. "Looks like I win this time," he proclaimed. There was no way he was gonna let Riku get out from underneath him if he had any say in the matter! Victory was his!

Riku looked up at Sora though dripping bangs. "We'll see about that." He smirked, then grabbed Sora's shoulders and put all the force he could muster in rolling them over. In battle, they were more or less evenly matched, but while Sora focused more on agility Riku had raw strength, giving him the advantage in that moment.

Sora made an oof sound as his back hit the soaked floor. "Not fair," he pouted up at Riku before trying to flip them over again. He may not be as physically strong as Riku, but that didn't mean he was weak, either. It was hard to get a good grip on the taller boy because of how soaked they were, but Sora was sure that meant it would be hard for Riku to hold onto  _ him _ too. The faucets were forgotten in favor of the wrestling match on the soaked bathroom floor to see who would come out on top.

They rolled around quite a bit, flipping who was in control rather regularly. Both of them were literally slippery, so keeping ahold of Sora was definitely a challenge; he found himself pulling the boy around by the lapels of his new jacket more than anything. Eventually he got Sora what he was fairly confident was fully pinned, hands on his wrists and legs pinning down Sora's. He grinned, water dripping from the ends of his hair onto Sora's cheek. "All's fair in love and war, Sora. Looks like  _ I  _ win."

Sora struggled against Riku's pin, but it became clear fairly fast he'd finally lost. Sora closed one of his eyes and turned his head away slightly to try and defend himself from the water dripping onto his face, but he was still grinning. Yeah, he was a little disappointed that he'd lost, but it wasn't like he wasn't used to losing to Riku. It wasn't like his friend had  _ actually _ cheated, Sora just liked claiming that because he didn't like admitting he lost. But it was fairly clear there was no getting out of this one if he didn't give in, and if he didn't give in the dripping would continue. "All right, all right, you win," Sora finally relented. He grinned up at his friend and asked, "What do you want this time?" After all, their bouts never ended without Riku making some demand at the end of them. Sora would make demands if he ever won, but, well, when did he ever win?

"..." Riku paused, suddenly more aware of their positions and the fact they were alone. Oh, he knew exactly what he wanted, but he couldn't have that. Still, the urge to say something stupid was bubbling within him; it was 'the winner gets to share a paopu with Kairi' all over again. "Well obviously..." he began, moving a hand to brush the wet spikes matted to Sora's forehead away, letting his hand linger. "...you owe me more ice cream," he said finally, grinning, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. He got off of Sora and offered the boy a hand up.

Sora grinned and let Riku help him up. "I had a feeling it would be something like that," he said, ignoring the tiny part of him that for some reason was disappointed. He didn't know  _ why _ he was disappointed, so he let the feeling go and instead shook himself like a wet dog. Revenge for Riku dripping water on his face. Smiling at his friend, Sora suggested, "We should probably try to get dry before Kairi finds us."

At that exact moment, Roxas opened the door to the bathroom, stared at the saturated dorks, and just deadpanned, " _ Why _ ."


	9. I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream because Suddenly Vanitas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone just wanted some ice cream but then the littlest seekers had to go and crash the party.  
> Vanitas goes after Ven and Xeha goes after Sora, no one is really surprised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any recent delays! The primary beta reader/co-author has been super busy, and these last few chapters were particularly hard to reformat into a readable format due to the number of conversations and scenes happening at once. We apologize if still failed to work out any awkwardness!  
> Enjoy!

As the Wayfinder Trio stepped outside the ice cream shop, Ven froze steps outside the doorway, his expression morphing from a bright smile to a look of horror in an instant. It was  _ him _ , he was  _ here _ . Ven could  _ feel _ him. Without explaining what was wrong to either of his friends, Ven spun around, trying to find where his other half was actually lurking. Unfortunately his Vanitas Radar was not nearly as trained as his other half's Ven Radar, so pinpointing him was a struggle. But he had to find him, they were in danger now...!

Meanwhile, outside on a rooftop Vanitas smirked, watching his other half panic at his presence but unable to actually find him. Unfortunately he was still too close to Terra for his liking... He'd have to fix that. His shadow flickered and an Unversed sprang forth, reappearing a few feet away from Ven and his friends.

"What's wrong Ven...?" had just left Terra's lips when the creature appeared. "Unversed!?" If they were back then that meant... " _Vanitas_ ," Terra growled. Within a second he'd moved between the Unversed and Ven, Ends of the Earth in his hands and coming down on the creature.

And now Terra was far enough away, perfect. Vanitas' form flickered and he reappeared directly behind his other half, arms snaking around him and pinning Ven's to his side. "It's been a long time,  _ Ventus, _ " he said right into the blonde's ear. Yes, this was much better- this was... He  _ hated _ it, but being close to Ven again made him feel  _ complete. _ Even having just moved to the same world as the boy had calmed him, and this proximity made him actually feel  _ whole.  _ It wasn't fair; they'd been apart for too long, they'd never be truly the same person again, they had  _ proved _ that. So why were they still  _ connected.  _ It  _ disgusted _ him, but at the same time... No, he hated it- he wouldn't be forced to rely on his weaker half... Well, he supposed he wasn't really the 'weaker' one anymore, he'd both forged and  _ destroyed  _ the χ-blade... but... whatever. It didn't matter, he didn't want to think about this anymore.

Ven began struggling the moment he felt Vanitas' arms lock around him. His heart panged painfully in fear as his darker half spoke in his ear, which only caused him to struggle harder. "Let me go!" he yelled, trying to pry Vanitas' arms off him. "Terra!"

Xehanort sighed. Of course Vanitas would charge in without giving them any warning; what else had he expected? Well, there were only three of them outside, certainly easy enough for them to handle, but he knew there were more waiting inside the shop. They might have been dangerously outnumbered, but there wasn't going to be any stopping Vanitas now... As it was, the only one who really qualified for their current objective - which he admitted was a shameless pretext for going out and harassing the heroes - was Terra, but he had a feeling dragging him back into the darkness would be about as effective as targeting Riku. He'd wait to see who else showed up, Vanitas could handle himself for now. Xehanort was, frankly, more interested in observing more about the strange world they had come to. The mouse's kingdom never ceased to be fascinating...

"Whoa!" Lea was met with a captive Ven and a fighting Terra the second he stepped outside, and Xion had just tried to kick the legs of Ven’s assailant out from under him. He summoned his chakrams out of habit, then realized his mistake and dismissed them. It took him a moment to get his keyblade to show up, but he managed.

Aqua had lagged behind inside the shop to thank Scrooge for his hospitality and see what the Sora/Riku situation was when the commotion outside caught her attention. Oh no, she knew that darkness suit anywhere... "Ven!" she called out, terror lacing her voice as she summoned her keyblade and dashed out the door. Xion beat her to Vanitas, so Aqua held her keyblade at the ready, ready to attack him as soon as the opportunity presented itself. How long had he been lurking around? None of them noticed, and now Ven was in trouble...

Aqua's shout caught the attention of everyone left in the ice cream shop, including Kairi and Roxas. Kairi's head shot up towards the commotion, and within seconds she was standing. "Stay here, Naminé!" she instructed as she too summoned her keyblade and headed outside. They just weren't allowed to relax, were they?

Roxas looked towards where he'd heard Aqua's and Kairi's voices call out from but wasn't in a position to see what was going on. "Sounds like something bad might be going down," he relayed to the boys in the bathroom before dashing off to find out what the deal was.

Sora looked worriedly at Riku, obviously having no idea what was going down. "Come on, we should get going too," he said, running out the door. Sora slipped a little on the way out but was able to brace himself on the door frame and use it to turn faster. Obviously he'd completely forgotten he was sopping wet, but that didn't matter as much as potentially dealing with a Heartless problem.

Vanitas let go of Ven and jumped, flipping over Xion and landing behind her, then kicking her squarely in the back. He dodged another blow from Lea, maneuvering himself out of the way all while not even bothering to summon Void Gear. "What's wrong Ventus? Didn't you miss me? I missed you," he taunted, ignoring the amount of truth that was actually lingering in that sentiment.

When he turned Lea got a glimpse at the boy’s face. " _ Another _ Sora??" he asked in confusion; they already had enough of those. Vanitas frowned.

"I'm not Sora!" he snapped, ironically much in the same way Sora had when the Organization referred to him as Roxas. He finally summoned his keyblade, but before he had a chance to use it a dark firaga went whizzing just past his face. Every able body who had been inside the ice cream shop was now just outside the door, and Riku was glaring at him something fierce with Way to the Dawn already in his hand.

"No kidding, not even Sora's dumb enough to pick a fight 9 to 1, especially against all keyblade wielders."

To that, Vanitas just grinned. "I think you need to recount those odds," was all he said before melting into his own shadow and reappearing on the other side of the square. His shadow grew and darkness pooled out of it; suddenly there were countless Unversed of all shapes and sizes between them. Probably an excessive amount- Vanitas had been a bit pent up recently.

"Those things are called Unversed- he can create them infinitely, they're made from his emotion," Terra quickly explained, stepping directly between Ven and Vanitas. He knew the finer details of what had happened ten years ago hadn't quite been shared, and that most of the people with them were likely horribly confused for a number of reasons. He did his best to ease that confusion, but now was the time for fighting, not talking.

From his spot on the roof Xehanort sighed. Nine. Nine keyblade wielders, seven of which were the designated 'champions of light' and therefore off limits... Well, as long as there were seven left, surely it wouldn't matter right? There was an excess of light, as always, and they could fix that... Still, at least three of the people present were literally darkness immune (Riku, Kairi, Ventus), as said before Terra might as well have been in the same situation as Riku, and considering Aqua had survived ten years in the Realm of Darkness and remained untainted, he sincerely doubted they could make any headway bringing her to their side. The three former Nobodies were promising, however, and of course then there was...  _ Sora. _

Yes,  _ Sora.  _ It was... petty, and a bit immature, but he couldn't help but stubbornly want revenge for failing to capture him the first time. It had been a task entrusted to him and... Well, they had actually almost succeeded, and it hadn't even been Riku that really stopped them, but  _ Lea _ suddenly deciding to grow a conscience that threw a wrench into their plans. It had taken extremely particular circumstances to capture Sora the first time, the likelihood of being able to do so again was almost nonexistent... but he was going to try anyway. He had become too fixated on the hero. This dark little obsession of his had seemed to have snowballed beyond his control... Now was not quite yet the time to strike, however, best let Vanitas split them up a bit more first...

Meanwhile Naminé stayed inside the shop as she had been told, feeling utterly useless. Well, given the boy’s connection to Sora, she could probably... but she really didn't want to use her powers again, and definitely not like that...

Xion hadn't been expecting Vanitas to disappear like that, and was unable to get out of the way of his assault. She went flying into Ventus and they both tumbled to the ground. "Oww..." she whined, getting off Ven and offering him a hand to help him up. That guy hit  _ hard _ . Once she'd helped Ven to his feet she turned to Vanitas again and held up her keyblade. "What do you want?!" she called out.

"He wants me," Ven explained, summoning his own keyblade and standing battle-ready next to Xion. He didn't know why, but he was... shaking. Was he afraid? Or angry? Or something else... Ever since Vanitas had appeared his heart had ached in a strange way, almost as if he... wanted to be close to him. Ven wrote it off as a lingering side effect of how they'd been split all those years ago. No matter what, he wasn't going to let Vanitas try to merge with him again. They couldn't afford that.

Aqua ran up to Ven as soon as Vanitas was out of range. "Are you all right, Ven?" she asked, sighing in relief when he nodded to signify that he was. In the next moment she looked to Terra, calling out, "We need to get him out of here. Can you handle the Unversed?" Obviously it was going to take a lot of them to actually deal with that many Unversed, but Aqua had every intention of going after Vanitas himself.

Terra was more focused on Aqua's question than the exposition that was going on around him. He nodded. "Leave it to me. Ven, you keep away from him, ok?"

Sora, meanwhile, was having a bit of a crisis. "Uh, is anyone gonna explain why he looks like me?" he asked, readying his keyblade for the upcoming battle. It was weird enough that they had two people who looked like Roxas, or looked like Ven, or- Man, this was all just so confusing. At least all of Kairi's doppelgangers had different colored hair...

A pause seemed to settle over the group as people tried to think of a reason. "...The same reason I look like Ven?" Roxas theorized. It wasn't like it was uncommon for there to be people who looked like each other in this group, after all...

"How does that even make sense?" Kairi countered, not being able to figure out how that would happen. After all, it wasn't like this new guy had come out of Sora directly when they'd gotten everyone their own bodies...

"How does  _ any _ of this make sense?" Roxas countered back. It wasn't like anyone had come up with a better reason... There were a whole bunch of things they didn't know, it seemed. They'd have to talk to the Wayfinder trio more in depth when they weren't, you know, fighting a gigantic horde of Unversed and the guy capable of apparently spawning an infinite number of them.

Xehanort sighed. He really should wait to reveal himself, but... the urge to explain was so great. People not knowing things grated on him so... Well, sometimes, sometimes it was amusing; like watching Riku and Sora struggle to comprehend their situation as they were lost in the dream worlds... But this was different and... he actually wasn't sure  _ Vanitas _ even fully understood the answer to that question. "...When Ventus' heart was stripped clean of Darkness, Sora's heart touched his and filled in the missing pieces. Because Sora filled in the dark half of Ventus' heart, the missing Darkness took on Sora's form. That is why Vanitas resembles Sora," he explained from his perch on the roof behind the group, not bothering to move. They had Unversed to take of before they could think about going after him, after all.

Riku whipped around, he knew that voice all too well. " _ You!"  _ He glared and put himself between Sora and Xehanort instinctively. "I thought you went back to your own time!"

Xehanort wasn't fazed, if anything he was amused. "I did. But I was needed again," he said simply. "When I exited the normal flow of time once again, my memories associated with that state returned," he explained.

When Xehanort spoke up Lea began looking around frantically; who knew how many of them were hiding around here... and what if... No, he wouldn't hope Isa was there too, that would just make things messier.

Roxas mumbled, "Well that explains that..." before turning back towards Vanitas. "...Sort of..." he added when trying to think about it still didn't make sense. How could a heart be stripped clean of darkness? Somehow he felt like Even or one of the other members of Team Science was involved in that one...

Sora whirled to face Xehanort, partially because he recognized the voice and partially because looking at Dark Him was really weird. "Man, you guys just don't quit!" he accused, brandishing his keyblades at their silver-haired ambusher. He was really getting tired of getting jumped at every turn. Couldn't they just have a day to enjoy themselves trying to murder each other with ice cream? Oh man he'd better not think about things like murdering each other with ice cream, what if Dark Him could read his thoughts and would summon some kind of weird ice cream monster to attack him now?!

Xehanort let a dangerous smile slip onto his face. "Hello, Sora," he greeted, keeping his gaze trained on the boy in question. He didn't bother trying to hide it; Riku was smart, he'd figure out his objective regardless, so there was no point. "The last time we met, you were sinking sweetly into the abyss."

"That’s not happening again," Riku snapped. He made to charge straight for Xehanort, knowing the other could deal with the Dark Sora and believing this boy to be the bigger threat. He was stopped short though, an Unversed appearing before him and blocking his path.

"Hey! You assholes are supposed to be fighting  _ me, _ " Vanitas called from the other side of the battlefield. He didn't need Xehanort's help- not yet at least. He didn't even know where the Replica had run off to. He commanded the Unversed to be more aggressive, attack those who had yet to break the front line. He himself, in the meantime, tried to get close to Ven again. Aqua was in the thick of his little army, but he still had Terra to deal with...

Sora bristled as Xehanort reminded him of the end of the Mark of Mastery exam, ignoring Vanitas while most of the others returned their attention to him. That had... not been a pleasant experience. Riku being nearby made him feel better, but... Sora didn't like being reminded of just how close he'd been to becoming one of Xehanort's puppets. But they were all together now, it wasn't like when they'd been effectively alone in the Realm of Sleep. This time they'd be able to win against these guys hands-down, even if Dark Him was kinda terrifying with his ability to spawn not-Heartless. "You just got lucky last time, that's not gonna happen again!" Sora shouted at Xehanort, throwing one of his keyblades at the guy on the roof. They still outnumbered those guys, they had this one in the bag! Sora was not familiar with the concept of 'overconfidence'.

Xehanort did not bother with summoning his keyblade, instead calling forth the blue energy whip and using it to deflect Sora's attack back at him. "We shall see..." He snapped his fingers, and time stopped for everyone but him- including his comrades. He took his time getting down from the roof, then leisurely made his way towards Sora; no one else really mattered. He tripped Riku as he passed him but ignored everyone else. When he was finally face to face with the boy he gently caressed his cheek. "So naïve..." And then he pulled his hand away, as though he had just realized what he'd been doing.

And then time started moving again; he'd lost his focus and wasted too much time... He summoned his keyblade immediately and made to strike the boy in front of him.

Riku fell hard to the ground, his feet suddenly no longer under him. As an added bonus he then took the full attack of the Unversed he had been fighting. It hurt, but he managed to get back to his feet and away enough to recover. And then he noticed that Xehanort was no longer on the roof, and the stench of his Darkness behind him (though it was hard to pick out with all these creatures around). "Sora!" He whirled around to find Xehanort already in front of his friend and ran to try and help him.

Sora jumped back and brought his remaining keyblade up to block Xehanort's attack. How did he get that close that fast?! Right, time manipulation. They... were gonna have a harder time beating these guys than they thought, weren't they. Man, if just two of them were this much trouble, what was fighting thirteen gonna be like?! Maybe they could take this Xehanort and Vanitas out of the mix before they had a chance to come at them with all thirteen... Sora glared at his opponent and pushed back against him, reaching his hand out to catch his second keyblade on its return trip.

"Sora! Riku!" Kairi called as her friends were attacked by the young Xehanort. She tried to get closer to help out but was blocked by an Unversed. "Get out of my way!" she shouted, casting Fire at the thing. Fire seemed to be working well enough for Lea, after all, and the taller redhead wasn't the only one who needed practice with a keyblade.

Xehanort summoned his whip in his off hand, using it to parry Riku's incoming attack while he dealt with Sora. In the end he wound up backing off to avoid Sora's second blade, but quickly countered with a barrage of magic bullets- blue rather than red like his future Nobody. "Pointless," he said. "Just give in, Sora, you would save your friends all the trouble."

Riku blocked the attack with Dark Shield easily and glared, answering for Sora. "Like we'd give him over without a fight! Like he'd ever actually want to join you!" Riku at this point had lost his temper and begun activating Dark Aura. Xehanort of course recognized the attack and made his best effort to gtfo, but wasn't quite fast enough. He didn't take  _ all _ of Riku's rapid teleporting strikes, but he had taken enough. He backed off clutching his side; he'd been careless. He hoped Vanitas hadn't noticed, or the dark boy wasn't going to let him hear the end of it later. The wound was small - he was highly resistant to dark damage after all - and he was able to quickly repair it by locally rewinding time to before he'd been hurt, without summoning the ominous clock that usually came with the spell.

Sora lunged at Xehanort with a cry of, "I'll never join you!" He meant it, he had no intention of ever joining Xehanort's side ever. Sora wouldn't betray Riku and Kairi like that. They were friends for life, they'd fight together forever! None of them were going to give in to Xehanort's schemes!

_ "Hey! You assholes are supposed to be fighting  _ me _." _

Lea began taking out as many Unversed as he could; crowd control was, conveniently, a specialty of his. Half the square was now on fire, but it was also half freed of the dark pests. Sora and Riku could take care of Mini Me, they’d already done it before after all. "Well if that's what you want!" he shouted in Vanitas' direction, shooting several fireballs his way. Vanitas melted into the floor again so they missed, but at least the Unversed count was down.

"We've gotta get rid of these things," Xion said, mostly unnecessarily. No matter how many they killed they just kept coming! Well, except where Lea was setting the town on fire. "Lea, don't burn the town down, too! Keep it to the weird emotion thingies!" she called out to her friend, having completely forgotten the technical term for the Unversed. Even if she remembered what it was she probably would've said the exact same thing for the express purpose of annoying Vanitas.

Like Ven to Terra, Roxas was sticking close to Lea. "We're not gonna get to play Ice Cream Beat if you burn the place down," Roxas added to Xion's comment, but left it at that. He couldn't deny the effectiveness of Lea's fire, and the lightning Aqua kept using was fairly effective as well. But there were just so  _ many _ of these things, it was hard to keep their numbers down. They were like hydras, wipe out one and two more spilled out of Vanitas' shadow. Still, their combined efforts were keeping the numbers down, at least. A chill down Roxas' spine made him pray neither of their opponents had noticed Naminé still in the ice cream shop.

"I'm trying!" Lea shouted. "Do you know how much harder it is to control with one of these things?" he said, throwing his keyblade at a few Unversed and catching it again. Keyblades were hard. They made magic harder. How did all of these people use these all the time.

"Then just use your chakrams! They're not Heartless!" Xion shouted back, downing another three Unversed with her keyblade. Ice cream trumped Lea getting real-world keyblade practice any day.

"Fine!" Lea whined, dismissing his keyblade and calling back his chakrams. With the switch, Unversed were falling even faster, and the fire was notably more controlled... but he still bitterly lamented the loss of field practice. Really he should have probably been taking things more seriously with both this Vanitas kid and mini me to deal with, but when did he ever take things seriously? Besides, the battle was rough, but they weren't losing by a long shot- not yet, anyway.

When Vanitas popped back out of the ground it was directly in front of Terra. Their keyblades clashed, and Terra glared down at him. "You're not getting anywhere near Ven!"

Vanitas smirked. "We'll see about that."

Aqua halted her no-longer-approach when Vanitas vanished. Darn, she'd been hoping he wouldn't do that. With his teleportation ability, Vanitas could be literally anywhere on the battlefield; she should have stuck close to Ven, flanked him so he didn't have to rely only on Terra to keep the two of them apart. Aqua tried to head back to Ven's side but was blocked by an Unversed. Xion quickly took it down, but the two of them were quickly surrounded.

Ven, meanwhile, was trying to figure out whether he should charge Vanitas or get as far away from him as possible. Terra was doing a good job of holding his dark half back, but if Vanitas got past him... No, if he ran Vanitas would just warp to him and grab him again. It was better if he stuck close to Terra and helped him out. While Terra faced off against Vanitas, Ven focused on the Unversed around him, trying to keep the battlefield clear. The last thing he wanted was for Terra to get hurt because of him...

Vanitas noticed the temporal blip, and was a little salty Xehanort hadn't invited him along for the ride. Oh well. He and Terra exchanged many blows, Vanitas ever trying to reach his other half. Eventually, he did manage to slip past, getting one good strike in and aiming to hit Ventus as hard as he possibly could; he wanted to be bodily closer to the boy, yes, but beating the shit out of him was still extremely cathartic. "Ven!" Terra cried out, trying his best to intercept the attack.

Ven had only barely managed to bring his keyblade up in time to block the brunt of Vanitas' attack. He was still sent flying back, landing hard on the ground, temporarily stunned as he struggled to sit up.

"Ven!" Aqua called out, using another Thundaga Shot to try and thin out the crowd of Unversed. She had to get back to him...! "Xion, we need to get closer to Ven!" she relayed, relieved when the other girl nodded her understanding. The two of them began fighting to get closer to the ice cream shop with the intent of helping protect Ven from his dark side. Apparently his rather literal dark side...

Terra struck at Vanitas, but the dark boy actually fully took the hit to let it knock him closer to Ven. He recovered quickly and dove for his other half who still laid prone on the ground. He was on top of him in seconds, sitting on his waist and pinning his wrists. He grinned. "Hello again, Ventus." And then... he didn't know what to do. He hadn't actually planned that far ahead... What the hell did he do now??? If he didn't do  _ something _ Terra was going to kick the shit out of him; he was relatively defenseless like this after all. He called as many of his Unversed as he could spare to shield him. Ok, he bought time, but not a lot. Now what. He had Ventus. What did he do with Ventus? He had wanted to be closer to him, he got that, he was practically laying on top of him... but it wasn't enough. It's not like they could merge- well they might be able to but it hadn't  _ worked _ , hadn't accomplished anything. And neither of them were close enough to the edge to accomplish that now anyway. But he still felt...  _ empty _ . Hollow. Being near Ventus was filling him up, but not all the way. It wasn't enough; what the hell was he supposed to  _ do?  _ Could he buy more time? He tried creating a Corridor of Darkness beneath them to move them away from the threat of his friends. That was all he could think of for now.

Terra was striking down the Unversed between them like mad. "Ven!" he called out desperately.

Roxas got distracted from the Xehanort fight when he noticed a Dark Corridor forming over where Terra and Vanitas had been fighting. "Lea!" he called his friend's attention, starting to fight to get closer to stop Vanitas from escaping. He didn't know Ven was pinned down, but he had a bad feeling regardless.

Xion and Aqua, however, knew very well that Ven was pinned under Vanitas, having still been fighting to get closer. They let out simultaneous cries of "Ven!" as the Dark Corridor began to form, but they just couldn't get close enough. The closer they got, the thicker the wave of Unversed got, and Xion wound up taking a nasty hit and getting pushed back. Aqua looked back to Xion and called out her name, but her momentary distraction resulted in her taking a nasty hit herself.

Ven struggled against Vanitas' grip, but it felt like all his strength had left him. That strange feeling in his heart was sapping his will to fight back, and he  _ hated _ it. The blonde struggled with all the might he could muster, but he just couldn't get Vanitas off of him. Ven tried reaching for his keyblade that had fallen just a few inches too far away; if he could just reach it, he could swing at Vanitas and get him off... And then the Dark Corridor began. Ven's eyes widened in panic, his heart beginning to race. He couldn't get away in time, Vanitas was going to...! "Terra!!!" Ven cried out desperately moments before the darkness swallowed him up.

Terra was nearly in tears. " _ Ven!! _ " He just broke through the wall of Unversed but it was a moment too late. Vanitas had already spirited him away. He dropped to his knees in despair, but didn't stay there long. Once he collected himself he sprang back to his feet and began running off. "We have to find him!" he yelled over his shoulder to Aqua. He had no idea where to start, but there were enough of them here that the others could take care of the Unversed while they searched.

Aqua felt sick. She practically froze as Ven vanished into the abyss Vanitas summoned. Xion had to defend her from more than one Unversed before Terra's shout reached her ears. Whirling to look at him, she attacked an Unversed that got too close, finally coming back to herself. "Find him!" she called out after him, not caring that had practically been what Terra had said to her. Aqua didn't wait for anyone to make a coherent plan, instead firing off repeated Thundaga Shots to break through the wall of Unversed to allow her to run off and look for her kidnapped friend.

Lea watched the whole thing happen, also unable to break through the Unversed wave in time to reach Ven. So much for his middle name... "We got things covered here!" he called to Terra; as much as he wanted to look for the boy himself, he knew someone had to keep the Unversed population under control, and the Destiny Island kids had their hands full dealing with mini me.

"Aqua, wait!" Xion called after her, getting trapped holding off an Unversed before she could follow. She growled as she pushed it away and then downed it. The Unversed count was significantly down now, but they still couldn't spare too many of their number to go look for Ven...

Roxas downed two more Unversed with his keyblades before calling out to Xion. "Go find him, Xion!" he told her, sticking close to Lea to help him keep the Unversed population under control. "We've got this, go get him back!" Roxas sighed softly as Xion nodded and started running off, hoping three people looking for Ven would be enough. It was probably a bad idea to split up like they were since they didn't know how many other Xehanorts were around, but they couldn't just not look for Ven either. What a pain...

Naminé, meanwhile, became very aware very suddenly of a certain someone finally going on the move. She knew it was dangerous out there, and she really didn't have a way to defend herself, but... she felt like he was her responsibility, so she had to be the one to stop him. Carefully she snuck out of the ice cream shop and towards the direction she knew he was in. Surely all the commotion would keep her friends from noticing...

Unfortunately, Lea noticed. He was very observant. "Where the hell are you going?" he called to her, though he assumed she was going to search for Ven- even though she'd be completely useless against Vanitas. She stopped for a brief moment before she continued running, not answering Lea's question; explanations would take too much time. "Naminé!" he yelled again, but when he made to stop her he found Unversed barring his path. Typical.

"Naminé, wait!" Roxas called after the blonde girl before more Unversed swarmed his way. He snarled at them and pushed them off, casting Thunder and wiping a few of them out. "Lea, she'll get killed!" he warned probably unnecessarily. Both he and Lea were needed to hold off the Unversed horde while the Paopu Trio tried to defeat Xehanort, even if their numbers did seem to be dwindling a little. Roxas wasn't sure if that meant they were making headway or if it just meant they were being relocated to follow the people who had split off from the group. All of a sudden Roxas was worried not just about Ven and Naminé, but Xion too...

Xehanort parried Sora with little effort. "Time will tell," he said ominously before launching a counter attack. He swung his keyblade down at Sora and launched a particularly intricate and nasty ice spell at the incoming Riku. Riku barely managed to get out of the way, but he was still skimmed by the shrapnel. He found himself sorely missing the help of his dream eaters...

Sora gritted his teeth and parried the blow, struggling to hold Xehanort back. He was getting tired of all this ominous talk, and the time pun didn't escape him. Sora dodged away to the side and swung around, trying to slash at Xehanort's side with one keyblade while keeping the other reserved for defense. He heard the shouts about something bad happening to Ven, but he couldn't do anything about that while he was busy trying to keep from doing things like getting kidnapped himself. "You doing all right Riku?" he called out, hoping the answer was yes. If Riku was hurt he'd...

Riku called back to Sora, "I'm fine, you don't have to worry about me!" He shot another Dark Firaga at Xehanort then ran into the fray once more.

Kairi, meanwhile, focused all her efforts towards defeating the Xehanort that lingered. She called out a cast of "Fire!" that she aimed towards Sora's opponent. If they could just get Xehanort to retreat, they could focus all their efforts on going to find Ven...

Xehanort couldn't dodge all three attacks and chose to take the Dark Firaga he most certainly had a higher resistance to, jumping into it and out of Sora's reach. Riku was on him again though, and he did his best to parry the attacks from both sides. When he began to feel overwhelmed he used his whip to try and catch Sora's ankle and pull him down.

Sora had just released his keyblade for another boomerang strike when the whip caught his ankle and pulled him down. He fell with a cry of "Woah!" and nearly lost his grip on his other keyblade. The brunette swung at the whip around his ankle with his secondary keyblade, trying to get it off of him so he could stand properly again. If that failed he'd just cast Thundaga from where he was on the ground and hope that that would get him free.

The second Sora was down Xehanort froze time again. He didn't have much time, he could only keep this date going for so long, especially worn down as he was. He wasted no time in grabbing Sora and carrying him as far away from his friends as he could manage. He couldn't open a Corridor of Darkness in frozen time like this, as his power only had so much range and connecting to somewhere where time was flowing would shatter the spell. Time magic was fragile, it was tedious.

The second he let time move again he was trying to push Sora through a Dark Corridor, abducting him much the same way Vanitas had done with Ven, but for very different, ultimately more productive reasons. Riku knew what had happened when his keyblade cut through air. He looked around frantically before spotting them down the way. "Sora!" he cried out, dashing to his friend's side as quickly as he could.


	10. Sora Sexually Confuses the Smol Nort and Repliku has a Bad Diplomacy Stat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay again! The next rush of chapters should be coming on time since they'll be much easier to edit and reformat!

Fortunately, Lea was able to maintain his middle name this time, all with the benefits of ranged weapons. A chakram flew between Sora and Xehanort, forcing the latter to pull back. "I don't think so," he called with a smirk.

Sora was incredibly disoriented as a result of being moved during the time lapse. Going from horizontal to vertical in a completely different location threw him for a loop, and Sora wound up momentarily on his knees as he tried to regain his bearings. The commotion clued him in that there was still a fight going on, so as soon as he was able he got back to his feet and held an... empty hand out to defend himself. Wait a second, where was his other keyblade? Right, he'd just thrown it when he'd fallen before... Sora backed away from the Dark Corridor and looked around for his other keyblade as he tried to get his head back in gear.

"Sora, get it together!" Kairi called out. She aimed her keyblade at Xehanort and once again called out, "Fire!"

Riku was on Xehanort in seconds; like hell he was going to let him cart Sora away again. Xehanort had, unfortunately, dodged out of Kairi's magic and into Riku's keyblade. He let out a small cry of pain before dodging to the side, the Corridor of Darkness closing as he lost his concentration. He didn't have time to heal himself; he sent out another barrage of magic bullets to try and put some distance between himself and his opponents. He was strong, but three on one was getting to him, and Riku had technically bested him on his own once. Even with the Unversed... perhaps this was foolish.

Lea saw Xehanort start to fall back and began to look for Naminé, only to find the girl long gone. "Damn..." he muttered as he continued to take out the Unversed. There were a lot less of them now, as though that Vanitas kid wasn't focusing on regenerating them as much as he had been. That could either be a very good or very bad sign...

Roxas noticed the Unversed number was dwindling, too. They were definitely defeating them faster than they could respawn, but that didn't exactly make him feel better. Who knew if they were just swarming some of the others, like Xion? Xion was talented but she couldn't take on an army of Unversed on her own... Making up his mind, Roxas called out to Lea, "Hey, Lea, can you handle the rest of these guys? I'm worried about Xion and Naminé." Naminé probably needed his help more than Xion did, to be honest... At least Xion could wield a keyblade.

"I got it covered!" Lea called back to his blonde friend. He would have rather Roxas stay by his side, but it couldn't be helped. Someone had to go make sure Naminé was safe. Xion running around on her own was worrying too...

Roxas nodded at Lea and started running off to help the split parts of the party. He paused when he passed the direction Xion had run in, but kept going and went after Naminé. Naminé would be the one who objectively needed the most help, since she was weaponless.

Sora, by this time, had managed to regain his bearings. "Ready to give up yet?" he challenged Xehanort, the man's waning confidence bolstering his own. They were really starting to win this match! Once they defeated Xehanort they could really focus on the dark creatures that were still lingering on the battlefield, their presence being the only thing reminding Sora that Ven had been kidnapped. Otherwise his focus on Xehanort would've caused him to completely forget. He joined Kairi in her next casting of Fire, aiming to get the guy to back off completely. Heck, if they downed him they could even take him as a hostage of their own...!

"Not even in your dreams," Xehanort half joked, referring of course to their time together in the Realm of Sleep. He ducked out of the way of the spells being slung at him and countered with the same ice magic as before. He'd try to keep a distance until he could heal himself again, though he was using too much of his time powers too quickly...

Riku darted in close again, relentlessly wanting to take the boy down for daring to try to take Sora away again. He was largely kept at bay with Xehanort's whip, but he was working his way closer.

Kairi, being more unused to battle than her two friends, wasn't as adept at dodging as they were. She brought her keyblade up to defend against the attack but only deflected half of it, the other half ripping a cry from her and sending her flying back. Sora was immediately distracted, calling out a distressed "Kairi!" as he went over to make sure she was okay.

"Kairi," Riku called as well, but he knew it was his job to hold Xehanort off while Sora tended to her. Easier said than done. Xehanort had already used the brief distraction to heal his wounds with his time magic, this time the large clock appearing behind him. Unfortunately it disappeared before he got a chance to break the spell by striking at it. Xehanort lashed out with his whip, still trying to keep the trio a safe distance away. At this point he had unfortunately resigned himself to more buying time for the others' schemes... How ironic.

Thankfully Kairi had only taken minor damage. She allowed Sora to help her to her feet before casting Cure on herself and rejoining the fray. "I'm fine, focus on Xehanort!" she insisted, closing in on their opponent slightly and throwing another cast of Fire at him. After that she took out a few more Unversed, noticing their number had dwindled considerably. Looks like that Vanitas guy couldn't spawn them infinitely after all, huh?

"Right," Sora agreed, charging at Xehanort to get back into melee range. Sora also lamented the fact that he missed breaking the time spell. Honestly it was a little concerning Xehanort could use it outside the Realm of Sleep... Well, it didn't matter, they'd beaten him before and they were gonna do it now! Sora swung at Xehanort with one of his keyblades, the other coming up to defend against the whip.

Xehanort was being pushed back. He was trying to keep the three keyblade wielders at range, but it was hard. He was lashing out with his whip and magic, but eventually Sora broke through. He brought his keyblade up to parry, but Riku would be on him in seconds. "You really should join us Sora, it's not as bad as you think," he taunted. Anything to throw them off at this point would help... Quickly, he reached up and ran his fingers through Sora's hair... Why did he keep feeling the need to touch him? No matter, it would no doubt irritate both of them, and that was the goal.

And irritate Riku it did. Admittedly enough so that he became sloppy. Xehanort was able to dodge, and for a change he landed a hit squarely on Riku. He cried out and skidded back, holding the wound while trying to cast Cure. Xehanort wouldn't let him, interrupting him with another barrage of magic bullets.

Sora reared back when he felt Xehanort's hand run through his hair. His eyes went wide as he backed off, very clearly stunned from the unexpected assault. Xehanort had... What?????? Shaking his head to clear it, and maybe get the lingering feeling of being touched to go away, Sora threw one of his keyblades at the time master again, not wanting to cast any spells when Riku was potentially in range. He just... What had that even been about???

Kairi switched to support as Riku took the nasty hit. Since he couldn't do so himself, the princess of light took it upon herself to cast Cure on her friend, nodding as Riku called out his thanks and charged back in. "Hey Xehanort!" Kairi called out, trying to attract his attention and get it away from Riku. "Fire!"

Xehanort, meanwhile, felt like an idiot, actually looking when the girl had called his name. He still managed to dodge the attack, but it was closer than he would have liked. This battle was going nowhere... Were Vanitas and Riku having better luck? He certainly hoped so... He could try to make off with Sora again, but he doubted such an attempt would be successful... He let out a frustrated sigh. He did not enjoy being the one stuck with the 'keep them busy' job.

Kairi smirked triumphantly as her plot to distract Xehanort paid off, and Sora had finally shaken off his shock and was back to fighting Xehanort full-on. Well, he was still hanging back a little bit, favoring long range and magic over his usual melee because that had been  _ weird _ . But that had almost certainly been the whole point. This guy just didn't quit, did he?

Xehanort was not exactly pleased Sora was keeping his distance. He tried to get closer to the boy, but Riku effectively kept him at bay. It was frustrating. Shouldn't the Replica be having his grudge match against his counterpart right now? Riku was certainly a pest, he'd very much appreciate it if someone else could come take care of him. And gods only knew what Vanitas was doing... Why was he bothering with this again? If he couldn't capture Sora, what was the point? If he left them now, they might split up to look for Ventus... Even if not, he might be able to acquire fresh reinforcements... Yes, he was about done playing this game, for the time being.

He jumped away as far as he could, sending a few last magical assaults to maintain the gap. "I tire of this," he said simply. Then he looked pointedly at Sora. "...Until next time, Sora." And with that he froze time again, using it to move himself far enough away to use a Corridor of Darkness uninterrupted.

Riku tried to stop him, as soon as he declared the end of the fight he'd rushed forward but wasn't quite fast enough. And of course, there wasn't anything he could do about the stopped time... "He got away..." he said bitterly. It would have been better if they had defeated him, but he was glad he was gone. He didn't like how he looked at Sora...

As soon as Xehanort was gone, Sora immediately turned to his friends, defeating a stray Unversed in the meantime. "Come on, we've gotta go find Ven!" he said, not waiting for the other two to agree. They'd wasted a whole lot of time fighting him and none of the others had returned yet...

"Right," Kairi agreed, throwing a concerned look Riku's way before following after Sora. She agreed that it would've been better if they'd actually managed to defeat the guy, who knew if he went to go give Vanitas backup or something... Turning to Lea as she passed him, Kairi asked, "Are you coming with us or are you gonna keep these things under control here?"

Lea surveyed the area. There weren't many left, things would be fine. "I'm coming with you; there's not enough left here to cause a problem," he said. Although he wasn't sure how much 'with' there was going to be; they had a better chance of finding Ven if they split up. "I'll go this way," he said, running off in the general direction Xion had.

Riku nodded. "Alright. Kairi, why don't you go with Lea. C'mon, Sora." He grabbed Sora's hand at the end, pulling off in the opposite direction. He wasn't leaving Sora alone after all the shit Xehanort just pulled, not even for a second. He'd be sticking to him like glue.

Kairi nodded and headed off with Lea. After all, if they split up too much they'd be sitting ducks. She was worried about the others... Sora willingly followed after Riku. The two of them together could handle Xehanort if he reappeared, they'd done it before. But for now they had bigger problems... "Where do you think they could've taken him?" Sora asked, figuring he didn't have to specify who he meant.

Xehanort stalked after Riku and Sora from the rooftops. With just the two of them he'd have a better chance, but he still would prefer to corner Sora on his own again... Easier said than done. If they didn't split up soon he'd go seek out one of the others for help, again, surely the Replica would want a chance to fight Riku, but he seemed to still be busy at the moment... and whatever Vanitas was doing had caused him to forget to keep spawning Unversed. He watched and couldn't help but notice the two boys were still holding hands... It irritated him.

Riku could tell Xehanort was following, but couldn't quite pinpoint where he was. His grip on Sora's hand tightened. This was bad...

"Are you all right, Riku?" Sora asked, feeling his friend's hand tighten. He could sense they were being followed too, but like Riku couldn't tell where they were. Sora wasn't even positive it was Xehanort. But for now they were pretty much alone, only the stray Unversed or two crossing their path. It also didn't escape Sora's notice that Riku hadn't actually answered his first question... He was probably just focused trying to find Ven.

Riku seemed to snap out of whatever thought he'd been lost in when Sora spoke this time. "...Yeah, I'm fine," he said, though he didn't sound very convincing. He was just... worried, about Sora, about everyone. He just wanted to find Ven and get the hell out of here. He tried to see if he could follow his nose to Vanitas, but it was pretty pointless, the Unversed all smelled like him after all.

Sora looked about as convinced as Riku had sounded. He didn't question it, however, and decided that now that he had Riku's attention - where it should be, a strange part of his mind added - it would probably be a good idea if he asked his earlier question again. "Do you know where they might be keeping Ven? I mean, not like we've ever been here before to know the town, but..." Halfway through speaking Sora realized they had flip-all idea of where anything was. Would they even be able to navigate back to the gummi ship? This was a bigger mess than he'd previously thought...

Riku looked back at Sora and frowned. "No... they probably know this place better than we do, it'll be hard to find him... At least Terra and Aqua have been here before..." he reasoned, hoping the last bit would cheer Sora up somewhat. This really was a shitty situation... Why did it have to turn out like this...

"Yeah..." Sora said, sounding somewhat down for just a second. He perked up the next moment, though, offering Riku his trademark goofy grin. "I'm sure we'll find him, though! Justice always prevails!" he insisted, optimism obvious in his voice. After all, they'd just beaten down one Xehanort, the rest would be a piece of cake! Sora still had no concept of 'overconfidence'.

"Sora..." Riku smiled earnestly, the other boy's confidence infections, misplaced as it may be. "You're right. We'll find him." He squeezed Sora's hand before facing forward again. Sora always did know how to cheer him up. Sora could find optimism in anything, it was one of the things he loved most about him.

Repliku, meanwhile, saw an opportunity and went for it. He wouldn't be able to get near the real thing while Sora was around, but he'd partially expected that. What  _ was _ available to him now was a choice of three keyblade wielders who'd wandered off on their own to look for Ven. Aqua was probably a lost cause to the darkness, unfortunately, but Terra could perhaps be persuaded if Ven was used as bait... And then of course there was Xion. Tough choice... He'd try his luck with Terra first, and if that failed he could always go for Xion later. After all, they couldn't  _ all _ be resistant to the darkness, right? Using his own Dark Corridor, Repliku teleported right in Terra's path, greeting him with, "Sorry, but I can't let you go any further."

"Riku?" Terra blinked in confusion. No, this boy was younger- not to mention unmistakably darker. Still, the resemblance was uncanny, did Riku have a younger brother or something? "Who are you?" he asked cautiously; Ends of the Earth was still in his hand, he was ready to fight if necessary.

Repliku smirked at Terra, his question morbidly amusing. "I'd say I'm nobody, but that word means something a little more specific now," he joked. He took a few steps forward, though thus far he hadn't drawn his keyblade. Right now he wanted to present the false impression that he was just here to talk. "You're not going to find Ven, you know," he said, calling Ventus by his nickname to draw attention from the fact that he hadn't given his own. "By now Vanitas has him somewhere you can never hope to locate." Okay, so that was pretty much bull, but he sold it well if he did say so himself. Truth be told he didn't actually know where Vanitas had taken his light side, but that wasn't really relevant to what he was trying to do with Terra now.

Terra was having none of this new boy's shit. "You're lying," he said simply, pointing his keyblade at him in warning. He would do literally anything to protect Ven - had done things he'd seriously regretted doing - he wasn't about to hold back now. "I don't have time for your riddles. Move." Despite himself he did feel the well of darkness surge up inside him, but was able to push it back down; he was much better at that now. Ven was fine- he could take care of himself, he'd beaten Vanitas before. He'd find him and everything would be  _ fine. _

Repliku stopped his approach when Terra pointed his keyblade at him. Well, looked like Terra would be harder to convince than he'd thought... No wonder the old man had written him off for the most part. It wasn't like Repliku was the best at words himself, either... But that didn't mean he wasn't going to try. Like he'd planned before, if Terra fell through he still had Xion to try and recruit. "I'm not lying," he said easily. "Even if you do find Ventus, you think Vanitas will just let you have him back so easily? He'll keep him away from you until he's corrupted his heart. The Ven you find won't be the Ven you lost." Wow, was he listening to himself? He was starting to sound like Xehanort with some of this junk... Well, whatever, if it convinced Terra to listen and not attack him it was worth it.

A little bit of panic rose in Terra this time. Was Vanitas trying to merge with Ven again? Of course he was; what else would he be doing. That bit of news shouldn't have shocked him so much. "That's why I have to get to Ven now. I can take care of Vanitas." He frowned. " _ Move _ ," he repeated, harsher this time. He took a step forward, watching to see what the mysterious boy did. He really didn't have time to waste fighting this kid...

Repliku fought the urge to take a step back. He had to stay strong if he wanted to have a chance at convincing Terra to join their side. This was going to be the tricky part... "I already told you, you won't reach him in time," Repliku insisted. "For all you know Vanitas may have already taken Ven back to our base, and what will you do then?" That part was definitely true. With the way Vanitas was always complaining and threatening revenge on his lighter half, he wouldn't be surprised if the guy had warped him back to his room to keep him hostage until he got what he wanted. "There's still a way you can be with him, though," Repliku taunted, holding out the information like a carrot on a stick. Something told him Terra wouldn't go for it, but at least he could plant the seed of consideration.

Terra glared hard. He didn't want to take the bait; Vanitas couldn't have gone so far away, there were too many Unversed still popping up... right? "What do you want?" he asked reluctantly. He'd hear the strange boy out, but if he didn't like what he heard that was it- he had to find Ven, everything he was saying was just making him more desperate.

Repliku smirked as Terra began taking the bait. "Join us," he said outright, holding a hand out to Terra. "Ventus will be joining us shortly, after all. If you join our cause, you'll be able to see him as much as you want," Repliku added to sweeten the deal. Sure he couldn't actually promise that, but what Terra didn't know he couldn't use against him. Besides, he sincerely doubted Vanitas wouldn't be able to trap his other half at their base, and if it got Terra to join back up the guy probably  _ would _ be able to see the kid as much as he wanted. Whatever kept their number at thirteen and Terra under their control...

"Sorry. Been there done that. Not happening again." Terra glared. Of course it was something like this. He took a proper battle stance, ready to lunge at the boy but then...

Suddenly Naminé arrived. She stood in front of Terra, her arms outstretched as if to shield him. "Leave him alone!" she shouted defiantly. She had missed the conversation, but she could hazard a guess. Not to mention Terra had just gotten ready to fight. She knew as long as she was there the Replica would be forced into inaction.

Of course, Naminé was completely capable of holding her own when her opponent was Repliku. "N-Naminé!" the Replica said, shocked at the girl's sudden appearance. His eyes widened in fear as he took a step back. Repliku had known she'd been close, but with so many Unversed around he didn't expect her to be  _ here _ . But she was, challenging- no,  _ ordering _ him to stand down. He knew he couldn't face her, not now, not like this... Glaring and clicking his tongue, Repliku opened a dark portal behind him and turned to run towards it, calling over his shoulder, "Fine! Your loss!"

Naminé let her arms drop and reached out for the boy as he retreated. "Riku, wait!" She had expected to stop him, not chase him off entirely. She wanted to talk to him... Surely, she could bring him back to the light. If he had come here with Xehanort and Vanitas, it was obvious he was to be one of the Seekers... but she could save him from that, couldn't she? It felt like the least she could do...

Terra was confused to say the least. "Naminé!?" He wanted to tell her to get back, but apparently she was an effective deterrent to their foe. Wait- did she just say... "Riku??" He asked, now even more confused than before. What the hell was going on? He didn't want to make assumptions... More importantly, he needed to find Ven. Now. He just... felt like something bad just happened.

The Replica froze halfway through the Corridor of Darkness. He knew if he wanted to keep being one of the Seekers of Darkness he was going to have to get away from her, but he... couldn't. Even now, Naminé had enough control over his heart that he couldn't help but listen to her commands. If he tried enough he'd still be able to move, to get away... He should've left Terra when he'd had the chance. Well, if he couldn't get his body to move, he'd just have to open a Dark Corridor right on top of himself. For now he'd pretend - or half-pretend, because it was half-true - that Naminé had fully stunned him, pretend he was listening until he could reform the corridor...

Naminé relaxed when the boy stopped. She took a few steps towards him. "Please, you don't have to go back there. We can help you!" she tried, hoping that he would listen to her of all people. She didn't want him to keep living as someone else's puppet...

Repliku sighed and chuckled softly, shaking his head. Poor Naminé, so naive... She really had no idea, did she? Right now, if it wasn't for Xehanort, he wouldn't even be  _ alive _ ... "Sorry Naminé," Repliku said, smirking sadly at her over his shoulder, "but I don't need help." Before the girl had a chance to react or stop him, Repliku summoned a Dark Corridor under himself and was gone.

Barely a moment later Roxas caught up to the group. "Naminé!" he called out, relief obvious in his voice. Hardly any Unversed had strayed from the town square, it seemed. That was good news for Naminé, but potentially bad news for everyone else. If they weren't here, where were they all...? And that was a Dark Corridor he'd just seen... "Who was that? Was it Vanitas again?" he asked, though if it had been there probably would've been more Unversed around, and there was definitely no Ven...

Naminé looked down sadly, for a moment it seemed like she hadn't even heard Roxas' words. "...That was Riku..." she said softly. Before anyone had a chance to question the obvious fallacies of that statement, she explained, "...He's a replica, like Xion..."

Terra paused. Oh. So that's why he looked so much like Riku, he must have been made when Riku was younger... Did that mean Replicas didn't age? Naminé had answered the big questions, but there was still a lot left unexplained... It didn't matter right now though. "Roxas, you take care of Naminé, I'm going to find Ven," he said, taking off without another word. His heart... hurt. Like he knew Ven was calling out for him. He'd already wasted too much time...

Roxas watched Terra run off, a concerned look on his face. He hoped someone else had managed to find Ven... Turning to Naminé, he said, "We should get moving. The others are still out there looking for Ven as far as we know, but Sora and the others seem to have Xehanort handled for now." He hoped... There was really no way for him to tell if the tides had turned or not since he'd left. As an afterthought, Roxas asked, "Do you think that Riku Replica's still lurking around here somewhere?"

Naminé nodded to Roxas. "He's still on this world..." she said quietly, trying to pinpoint his location. "...He probably went after Xion," she said, guessing he was targeting those who had singled themselves out, and Xion was a much more likely target than Aqua.

Roxas looked horrified. Xion was still alone out there as far as he knew, and probably fighting hordes of Unversed... "Come on, we have to go find her!" he decided quickly, grabbing Naminé's hand and pulling her along. There was no way he'd leave her on her own, but he couldn't just stand there and not do anything. He was so busy worrying about Xion he didn't stop to think about how Naminé knew Repliku was still on that world somewhere or how she knew he'd go after Xion.

"...Right!" Naminé agreed, letting herself get pulled along by Roxas. She quickly took the lead, however, guiding them to where she knew the Replicas were.

On the other side of town, the Replica reappeared and held his chest, trying to calm his heart from Naminé's influence. He hadn't expected her to show up like that... But no matter how much part of him longed to go back, for her to have meant what she said, he knew he couldn't. Repliku had a job to do, and by the sounds of battle and a female voice, he'd found his next target. Terra may be immune to the sway of darkness, but Xion was surely a different story...

Xion downed yet another Unversed. A whole lot of the things had followed her from the square, it seemed. She assumed a bunch followed Aqua and Terra, too. She was getting really tired of dealing with these things, though; there were just so many! She'd never be able to find Ven at this rate...

"Still fighting?" a familiar voice came from behind her, and Xion quickly turned her head to look. Riku had found her, it seemed, and- Wait, where did he get those clothes from? Something was off. This guy looked younger, too, and he was  _ definitely _ shorter... Still had Riku's smugness, though.

"You're not Riku!" Xion finally decided on announcing, turning towards him and lowering herself into a battle stance. "Who are you?"

The Riku Replica just chuckled at her. "You're clever. I'm not your enemy, if that's what you're worried about. Not unless you want me to be," he said, approaching her slightly but still keeping his distance. Xion was a lot more distrustful of him off the bat, he would have to play this carefully... Of course, Xehanort was the one who was actually good at things like words. But he had to pull his weight or else... "I'm a Replica, just like you are. I'm here with a proposition." Well, that certainly got him an interesting reaction... Xion's shock boded well for his scheme. Now to word it right...

Xion was staring in shock at the apparent Riku Replica. It made sense, but... She hadn't known about him. Was this another one of Vexen's, or did someone else make him? Whatever this proposition was was giving her a bad feeling; that suit he was wearing looked an awful lot like Vanitas'...

Repliku smiled kindly, trying to put the girl at ease. He knew this would be a hard sell because of her friends on the side of light, but even the light could be persuaded... he hoped. Here went nothing... "Look, I'll be straight with you. I'm with Xehanort; we want you to come back with us."

Xion bristled like a cat, immediately crying out "Never!" and getting ready to attack her fellow Replica. She paused when he waved his hands defensively, however, some doubtful part of her still wanting to hear what the other had to say.

"Woah, hold on, just hear me out," Repliku said, doing his best to appear as unintimidating as possible. "It's really not as bad as it sounds. Yeah, the old man's kinda crazy, but he's got the right idea." Or he was just crazy. "At least as far as people like us are concerned. With our fake hearts, we can never hope to be real without the help of Kingdom Hearts. Until we gain access to it we'll never be more than shadows of the people we're replicas of. So what do you say?" he offered, holding his hand out to Xion. To be honest, he... really wished she'd say yes. Having someone like him around... Vanitas was close, but it wasn't quite the  _ same _ . He hadn't realized until he started talking how nice it would be to actually have another Replica around...

To his sincere surprise, Xion looked like she was actually considering the offer. Not enough, she wouldn't say yes then and there, but he'd succeeded in planting a seed of doubt in her mind. She steeled herself and glared at Repliku again, trying to push away any thoughts that came close to considering joining his side. "I could never betray my friends like that!" she insisted. Roxas and Lea, they'd never forgive her for switching sides... Would they...?

Meanwhile, Kairi and Lea were getting close to where Xion and Repliku were, having been closer than Roxas and Naminé from the get-go. "I think I heard Xion's voice," Kairi relayed, pointing in the direction she thought she heard it from. If she was talking, which it sounded like she had been, then odds are there was also someone she was talking  _ to _ . Maybe she'd found Ven...? Or another Seeker of Darkness...

"You're right!" Lea said, hearing Xion's voice. It didn't take long for them to round the corner and find her with... Lea was confused for a moment, but quickly recognized the boy in front of him. "You?! I thought Riku made sure you were pushing up daisies!" He had been  _ sure _ no one else had been left alive in that castle.

"Riku?" Kairi asked, confused at what looked to be a younger version of her friend. But... Lea was talking like her Riku had killed this one or... something... What?

Both Xion and Repliku turned to face the newcomers. Repliku smirked, diverting his full attention to them. "It's been a long time, Axel. Or is it Lea now? I can never remember," he said smugly, still a bit bitter about the whole Castle Oblivion thing. "I don't know why you're so surprised. After all, little Zexion seems to be all right," he taunted. There may not have objectively been any survivors other than Axel himself at Castle Oblivion, but it wasn't like anyone had really stayed dead, either.

Xion looked between the Replica and Lea, confused at what was going on. Why was he taunting Lea about Zexion? That one was Ienzo, right? She always had trouble remembering what she'd been told about Castle Oblivion and what had happened there for some reason... Regardless, Xion was more than happy to let someone else command Repliku's attention for now. What he'd said had really gotten to her...

"It's Lea," Lea started, rolling his eyes. He knew he had mixed up the names on purpose to piss him off, but corrected him out of habit anyway... "And don't give me that! Zexion, myself and the others were  _ recompleted.  _ You didn't have anything to recomplete  _ with _ , you were just straight up murdered, so how are you  _ here. _ " He wanted to get his answers before he started explaining the Replica situation to Kairi.

Repliku smirked at Lea. He shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess you'll just have to ask Xehanort about that," the Replica answered, still not sure why he was being honest about all this. Maybe it was because Naminé was lingering in this world... He would have to be a lot more careful about that. He could feel her getting closer again... Time was running out. "You could come ask him yourself, we'd be more than happy to have you. Though personally I'd rather have Xion," he invited, smiling fondly at the girl over his shoulder.

Xion flinched and raised her keyblade defensively. "I-I already said I wasn't coming with you!" she answered, hating herself for her stutter. Why had she hesitated? So what if he was a Replica like she was, her heart was real, she didn't need Kingdom Hearts to be real! But even she could feel her own doubt...

Kairi looked between the three other people present, still mostly confused what was going on. What did register was that this guy was apparently on Xehanort's side, which made him the enemy. "We're not letting you take Xion!" she insisted, holding her keyblade up as she prepared for an attack. They'd already let one of their number get taken, they were  _ not _ losing another, not Sora, and not Xion!

"What she said." Lea nodded to Kairi. "And thanks for the offer, but..." he paused. For him the grand scheme of things really didn't matter. It wasn't a choice between light and dark, or what to do with Kingdom Hearts, what it boiled down to was... a choice between Isa and Roxas, and he had made that decision a long time ago. "I'm fine playing the good guy for a change, thanks." He hunched over into a battle stance, spinning his chakrams on his fingers. "Oh, and do tell Isa I said 'hi'. And tell him 'I hope he chokes on it', he'll know what I mean." And then there was fire shooting straight at the Replica. Like father, like son, as it were.

Repliku's expression switched from smug to surprised as the fire flew his way. However, the move wasn't totally unexpected, so he was able to summon his sword and conjure up a dark shield to protect himself just in time. Like Lea, Repliku wasn't exactly used to having access to a keyblade, so as outnumbered as he was Soul Eater was the way to go. Smirking smugly as the last of the fire dissipated, the Replica said, "Sorry, Axel, you'll have to try a little harder than that." Oh yeah, he was gonna keep using the wrong name completely on purpose. After all, he had a bad feeling he was gonna get in big trouble if he ever accidentally  _ did _ pass on that message...

"Then try this! Thunder!" Xion called out, joining in the fray now that battle had been officially declared. She clicked her tongue as that spell also missed. This guy was gonna be a lot tougher than she thought, wasn't he? Though, really, she shouldn't be surprised, since he was effectively Riku, who was now a Keyblade Master...

Kairi hung back, planning on playing healer for the group and focusing on keeping the Unversed that still lingered away from Xion. There weren't very many left, and like many people that bothered Kairi. What was going on with Ven and Vanitas that the Unversed were disappearing...? Maybe someone'd found him and beaten the dumb guy into the ground... Kairi looked to Lea, deciding to ask, "What do we need to know about this guy, Lea?" She'd prefer to not be going into this fight blind, after all.

Lea looked at Kairi confused for a moment, then remembered that not everyone here knew who the Replica was. "He's a Replica of Riku Vexen made more than a year ago. Think Riku but on Darkness steroids," he said quickly. That was the best way he could explain it. And really there wasn't any much to him, that he knew about, at least. Who knows what kind of weird shit he could have gotten from Xehanort. He threw his blades and shot more fire, but the little bastard was hard to hit.

Just then, another Dark Corridor appeared, and Vanitas stepped out of it, scowling. He blocked a stray attack with Void Gear and largely ignored everyone but who he was talking to. "Riku we're leaving," he said with no regard to whatever goals the other boy might have had or how close he was to achieving them. If he didn't get Ven no one else got what they wanted either. Besides, real Riku wasn't here, so this obviously wasn't something actually important.

" _ Now _ ?" Repliku half-whined, shrugging in the next moment. He was just starting to have some real fun... He'd forgotten what actually fighting people was like. Maybe he  _ should've _ fought Terra earlier. Oh well, he'd get a chance to fight people like Riku later, he'd already done enough that he shouldn't get reprimanded too much. "Whatever you say, boss man," he continued, ignoring the fight he'd been in and heading back to the Corridor of Darkness with Vanitas. Before stepping through, Repliku called over his shoulder, "See you later, Xion."

Xion grimaced and threw her keyblade where Repliku's head had been just moments before. Something about that guy really  _ bugged _ her. But they were gone now, and she... was at a loss for what to do. Well, she'd still obviously be sticking with her friends! But... Xion sighed softly, hating to admit how much his words had gotten to her. She knew she didn't have to worry about whether or not she was real, because she was real to the people who mattered, but sometimes she just couldn't help it...

Once again missing the action by seconds, Roxas and Naminé finally reached the rest of the effectively main party. "Xion! Are you all right?" he called out, spotting her before noticing Lea and Kairi. Roxas knew  _ they _ wouldn't have trouble holding off the Replica, but Xion had been on her own for a long time and he wasn't sure what had actually happened...

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered, sparing Roxas a glance before looking back where the Dark Corridor had been. If Vexen really had made the Riku Replica like he'd made her, why was he on Xehanort's side now...? Was there something she was missing...?


	11. Vanitas Discovers the Wonders of Selfcest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tw non consensual kissing?? Does that need a tw?? it happens in like a disney movie or two so I mean but also better safe than sorry.
> 
> Vanitas tries to feel complete. And it works. But it is also gay.  
> Ventus is sick and tired of their physical codependency. But at least Terra makes things better.

Vanitas and Ventus appeared somewhere underground after Vanitas whisked them away via Dark Corridor; Pete's Rec Room specifically. It'd take the others a decent enough time to find them here. Taking them off-world would have been too much effort; besides, Xehanort would have given him a lot of shit for just up and leaving him without a steady supply of Unversed backing him.

Vanitas looked down at his other half curiously, still not entirely sure what to do with him, just that he knew he wanted him, and having him to himself was apparently very satisfying. He didn't budge off Ven at all, he didn't say anything either. He just stared down at the other boy as though doing so would help the answer come to him. It was fine, he could take his time now...

Ven was now struggling wildly against Vanitas, panic welling up in his chest now that his friends were nowhere in sight. "Get off of me!" he cried out. "Stop it, let me  _ go _ !" Where were they? He couldn't tell, it had been so long and it seemed the area hadn't been kept up quite as well as the rest of the town. Ven couldn't even tell if his keyblade was still within reach, whether it had been swallowed up by the darkness with him or not. This was all wrong... Vanitas' presence was overbearing when he was this close. Part of his heart was longing for him to stop fighting, to be closer, but he resolutely tried to force that part of him down. He wouldn't give in, he wouldn't lose himself like that. This was all just a ploy to get him to try and merge to form the χ-blade again, and he'd never give Vanitas that satisfaction.

"Terra! Aqua!" Ven called out, still struggling to free himself from Vanitas' grasp. After struggling for long enough Ven was able to slip one of his wrists free and began beating at Vanitas with his freshly-relinquished hand. However, Ven was fast and not strong, and Vanitas  _ liked _ pain, so the attack would probably do little to dissuade his captor from continuing to be just that.

Vanitas frowned. "Will you calm down?" he said, trying and failing to catch the wrist that had gotten loose; not that it was doing anything to hinder him really. He thought Ventus was overreacting... Yes, struggling violently against the man who tried to kill both your friends just to get you to fight him and forge a magical keysword was overreacting... Okay fine, but it was still annoying. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said with surprising ease. It sort of just slipped out... Was he not going to hurt him? Mostly he just wanted to get to the bottom of their strange connection and... fix it, make it go away,  _ something. " _ Probably," he tacked on to save face. Out of a bout of honest paranoia he eventually asked, "...You feel it too, right?" After all, Ventus seemed to be resisting the pull to be close much better than he was, and that thought alone pissed him off considerably.

Vanitas talking had only resulted in Ven struggling harder. He continued to beat and push at the Sora look-alike with his free hand, part of him absurdly proud he'd been able to keep it free for so long. Every word just sounded like Vanitas was mocking him, or trying to get him to let down his guard. Well, Ven wasn't going to have that! "You're already hurting me, so let me go!" he cried out as his answer, neglecting to respond to the question of whether he felt the pull. The longer they were close the more he realized it was there, and while the pull itself obviously wanted him to get closer it made the rest of him want to get  _ away _ . It felt like his heart was literally getting torn in two between the two desires. He tossed his head from side to side, kicking his legs uselessly and trying to free his other wrist. Ven had to get away, he just  _ had _ to, he had to get back to Terra and Aqua and all of his friends and away from this awful  _ feeling _ being close to Vanitas like this caused...

"I said calm the fuck down!" Vanitas growled, putting enough pressure on Ven's wrist that he was threatening to snap it. Yes, because threatening to break his bones was going to calm him down. Vanitas knew he wasn't very good at this... "I  _ wasn't  _ going to hurt you, but if you keep acting like a bitch I'm going to have to," he threatened coldly. It didn't go unnoticed that Ven had failed to answer his question, which worried him a lot more than he cared to admit. Did that mean he was the only one who felt it? Was it because he was the splintered piece and Ventus the original? The thought made him sick. " _ Answer the damn question, _ " he spat, and for good measure he let his free hand find its way around his lighter half's neck; no pressure, yet, but a deadly warning.

Ven cried out in pain as Vanitas threatened to break his wrist. When Vanitas' hand wrapped around his neck, Ven's free hand flew to the other boy's wrist, trying in vain to pry it off of him. His struggles did seem to lessen somewhat, at the very least his legs stopped kicking. Ven knew how much his life was in danger now. "What do you think's hurting me?!" he shouted back, panic keeping him from realizing he probably shouldn't actually admit that. In his defense, the darkness of his heart was literally threatening to choke the life out of him if he didn't answer. Ven wasn't sure if he was shaking from fear or exhaustion from the effort of trying to free himself and get away from that terrible emptiness that was trying to consume his heart. Mindlessly he called out for Terra again, praying that somehow if he was loud enough someone would come and rescue him from this nightmare.

Vanitas visibly relaxed at the answer, grip on Ven's hand loosening to something not painful - though he left both his hands right where they were - and his face softening considerably, probably to something Ven had never seen before; well, not on  _ him _ at least, maybe Sora, but not him. "Do you... know what it is?" he asked, the anger gone from his voice- for now, until Ven stopped cooperating. His eyes were uncharacteristically hopeful; he needed some damn answers, and Ventus was the only place he knew where to look for them. He didn't mind or question it seemed to have an opposite effect on his lighter half, it just... intrinsically made sense, somehow.

The softening of Vanitas' face honestly terrified Ven. He'd never seen anything even remotely like that expression on his other half's face, and... Well, it couldn't have been caused by anything good. That pull to be closer panged stronger, and Ven winced at the ache in his chest. Between the added ache and the relaxing of Vanitas' grip, Ven renewed his struggles to free himself somewhat. "How should I know?" he answered, sounding as distressed as he felt. "It only hurts like this when I'm close to you!" Why did he share that? He shouldn't have shared that. What was Vanitas  _ doing _ to him? Ven felt like he was on the brink of tears, the pain and terror threatening to overwhelm him. Where was his keyblade? Where was... "Terra!!" he called out again. Terra would come save him, he knew he would, he just had to hold on until he made it...

Vanitas frowned, so Ventus didn't know what was going on either... He wasn't fazed by the boy's continued struggling, any annoyance at that largely outweighed by the disappointment of a lack of information. "Me too," he said, almost contemplatively. He didn't need to share that much with Ven, but he did anyway. Whatever. Maybe it would make the lighter boy more inclined to share. He leaned forward and pressed their foreheads together, letting his eyes fall shut and drinking in as much of the strange feeling as he could. Like this, it was even stronger, almost like he was drowning in it... and yet it still didn't quite feel like it was enough... Still, it was certainly an improvement. Vanitas almost felt... calm, not an emotion he experienced very often, to say the least. He opened his eyes again to speak. "...Doesn't it feel better, like this?"

Every muscle in Ven's body was tense and shaking. Whatever this feeling was, it was threatening to overwhelm him, drown his heart in Vanitas' darkness... Ven tried to turn his head to the side, tears spilling from his tightly-closed eyes. It hurt so much, he wasn't even sure if it hurt anymore. Everything was getting drowned out by pain and longing, a desperation to be close but urgency to flee. Ven struggled weakly to try and remove Vanitas' hand from his throat. He just had to get away... "Please..." Ven whispered brokenly. "Terra... Save me..."

Vanitas pulled back with a small frown. Before he could stop himself, he found himself letting go of Ventus' neck in favor of wiping the tears away. What the hell? What the fuck was wrong with him, he was a sadistic bastard, he should be reveling in this, and yet... "I think we've got this backwards," he pointed out. "Your light and serenity seems to have rubbed off on me, and my rage and anguish on you. It's... weird," he said, still inexplicably calm. "I don't think it would hurt if you just accepted it. It doesn't hurt me. Just kind of annoying..." Then again, maybe that was just his unusually high tolerance for pain... but it didn't matter. What did was getting Ventus to play along... He didn't know why he cared so much about that, but he did. So if he had to hold him here until he stopped crying and bitching, so be it.

Ven jolted as Vanitas brushed his tears away. He was in so much pain he couldn't even comprehend how out of character it was for his other half to do something like that. Pain... This was... Vanitas' pain? No wonder he was always trying to merge with him, if merging was the only thing that... No! He couldn't think about that! If Ven let those kinds of thoughts in his head, he'd stop resisting and Vanitas would win. While his mind still rebelled, Ven's body seemed to be nearing its limits. His free hand fell away when Vanitas removed his hand from his neck, and Ven simply lacked the strength to go back to trying to beat the darker boy off of him. All he could do was shiver, his energy spent from trying and failing to break free.

"Please... Stop..." he begged softly. Pride didn't matter to him, not at a time like this, not if it got this hollow  _ ache _ to go away. More tears spilled from his eyes to replace the ones that had been wiped away. Something... There had to be  _ something _ he could still do to get away from Vanitas... Giving in, even pretending to give in, wasn't an option. He didn't know what would happen if he gave in, and that thought was terrifying. What if they wound up merging and Vanitas used his body to attack his friends again? At the thought of Terra and Aqua hurt, Ven renewed his struggles somewhat, trying to slip his other wrist free again. If he could get both his wrists free, he could... do  _ something _ ...

"I'm trying!" Vanitas snapped. "What the hell do you think I'm trying to do here? You think I actually like this... whatever the hell this is? I don't! So stop crying and help me figure out how to fucking fix it! Then we can both get on with our damn lives!" He had found himself with more patience than he thought possible, but he was still growing frustrated. He slapped Ventus across the face. That made him feel better, seeing Ventus' head slam to the side as he was obviously dazed... Still, that feeling was still pulling at him. Like it just  _ wasn't enough _ . He needed to be  _ closer _ , but they were already about as close as two people could physically be. Would they have to merge again to make it go away? But they were too separate now, that form was too unstable... That couldn't be the solution, could it? But what else was there? He wiped the tears from Ventus' eyes again, letting his hand brush down the boy's cheek and his thumb trail over his lips... his lips... No, that was fucking stupid. And way too cliché. But... he supposed that was the typical way people 'merged', and he was out of options...

"Tch. I can't believe I'm about to do this," would be the only warning Ven got before Vanitas grabbed his chin and slammed their lips together. And... oh.  _ Oh.  _ He finally felt whole-  _ complete _ , and yet it was somehow  _ more than that.  _ It was like Ventus' light was spilling over him, but in a pleasant way, not how light usually stung him. He felt full, and that feeling was washing over him and drowning him in the most wonderful way. He moaned softly and practically melted, every muscle in him going slack. If Ven had enough of his wits about him still to shove him off, now would be the time.

Ven barely registered Vanitas wiping away his tears again, and his dark half's words made no sense. Do what? What was he about to do? Ven struggled to open his eyes to try and find out just what Vanitas was planning, and then...

And then his face was full of Vanitas, quite literally. Ven had neither the time nor the strength to keep Vanitas from crashing their lips together. A soft, pained whimper left Ventus as his body involuntarily went slack. What... was this feeling...? It hurt, so much, but at the same time it made the ache go away, like Vanitas' darkness was entering him, filling the cracks and settling in the hole his loss had left in his heart... It... almost felt  _ good _ , but... Something felt wrong. Horribly, irrevocably wrong. Like he shouldn't be letting this happen. But why? What could possibly be better than his heart being filled like this...

_ Terra. _

At the thought of Terra, Ven's eyes flew wide open, and the rush of adrenaline returned some of his strength to him. Mustering up all of it, Ven took advantage of Vanitas' freshly-slackened grip to rip his still-captured wrist free and then use both of his hands to push at his dark half to get him  _ off _ . How  _ dare _ he...! The rage he'd siphoned from Vanitas' proximity bubbled to the surface, adding force to his push. If and when he was free he'd scramble away and get to his feet, and then... And then he didn't know what he'd do. He still didn't know where he was, where Terra was, what was even  _ going on _ ... But he wouldn't let Vanitas touch him again. Not like that. Maybe he'd just summon his keyblade and beat Vanitas' face into the floor.

Vanitas didn't even notice he'd been pushed off at first, the high numbing him to everything. "Holy shit..." he breathed. He needed to do that again... Again? Shit, where did Ventus go? He looked around and saw the boy trying to stand. He got up as fast as he could and grabbed him- hugging him to him and pinning his arms to the side rather than pushing him to the floor again. Less effective, but... He buried his face into the crook of Ven's neck. "Why did you stop? It was working!" Well, he still had fuck-all idea what was going on, but he had decided that he definitely didn't want it to stop. If he could keep feeling like  _ that _ then he'd never let Ventus go again. He hated the idea of being so dependant on someone else but... he couldn't bring himself to fight this, it was just too  _ good _ . He tried to kiss Ven again, though he had a feeling it wouldn't be as easy as the first time...

Ven struggled against the arms binding him, panic rising up inside him again. Now that he'd felt what it was like to be  _ together _ it ached even more than before now that they were  _ apart _ , but... He didn't want this. Even if part of him resolutely  _ did _ want this it was wrong. Wasn't it? Ven shook his head, resolving to think about those things once he was  _ away _ from Vanitas and not trapped in his arms. "Stop it, let me go!" he shouted again, the momentary separation bringing them back to square one. He had to get away, this was wrong, he wanted... " _ TERRA!!!! _ " Ventus screamed as loud as his lungs were capable, turning his head as far away from Vanitas as he could. Ven couldn't afford to let him kiss him like that, not again...

Vanitas frowned when his lips met the boy's cheek. "Why are you resisting? It felt good for you, too, didn't it?" He just didn't understand. How could Ventus resist a feeling like that, why would he  _ want _ to. It just didn't make sense to him. It was just a kiss, it wasn't like... Well, that actually made him wonder what  _ that _ would feel like, but Ventus was throwing a hissy fit just from this much,  _ that  _ would be way too much trouble. Right now, at least. Well, if Ventus was going to play hard to get, he'd just have to get creative. He dipped his head down and kissed the boy's neck, sucking lightly on the skin there. The feeling wasn't as strong, but it was still present, maybe it was stronger for Ventus because he was on the receiving end- he didn't know. He'd just keep assaulting him until he was too overcome by it all to fight back...

Ven continued to struggle in Vanitas' grip, trying desperately to ignore his words. Now that it was gone he'd realized how good it felt, and when his dark half kissed him on the cheek it took all his willpower to keep from turning his head back so their lips would meet. But he wouldn't give in that easily. He didn't care what it felt like, or the hollow ache that was trying to force them together, all he wanted was to be away from Vanitas and back with his friends. Back with Terra. He had to get Terra to find him, Ven couldn't escape like this on his own...

" _ Ter _ -Ah..." Ven tried to shout again, but it died in his throat halfway through. Vanitas' lips on his neck sent a spark through him that caused him to moan involuntarily and for just a moment stop resisting. It felt so good, but... No! He had to get away! Ven renewed his struggles, trying to push Vanitas away from him, trying to stretch away from his dark side, but the attention to his neck was slowly sapping his strength from him again. He'd been running on pure adrenaline before anyway, and he knew he wasn't going to be able to hold out if this kept up. "Terra..." he called out softly, his throat burning from all his screaming. But he had to keep calling for his friend, Vanitas had him trapped... More tears spilled from his eyes as his strength began to fail him again. Why did this have to happen...

Ventus' moan sent a shiver straight through him. It was almost too much... He could feel Ven's tears running down his cheek and falling onto his own. He pulled away and kissed the tears out of his eyes. And then he paused, looking hard at Ventus. "...Do you really hate me that much?" he finally asked. It didn't make sense to him. Ventus was pure light-  _ could  _ he hate at all? In that moment it seemed like Ventus hated him more than he Ventus, and that certainly didn't make sense. He'd spent most of his life loathing the boy... Maybe he was just so used to hating that it didn't affect him as much... Yes, that made more sense. It definitely wasn't because he had just now somehow gotten...  _ attached. _ Or maybe he'd always been... Either way, for whatever reason, Ventus' failure to give in by now and constant rejection was... bothering him. He didn't like it, it was just somehow... upsetting, even if that didn't make any sense at all. Vanitas took what he wanted- and if he wanted his other half then he was going to have him... So why was he stopping?

Tearful eyes helplessly met Vanitas' as Ven fought for words. Did he actually hate him? It felt wrong to say that he did, but... He couldn't forgive him. Ventus mustered his strength for one final push, breaking away from Vanitas but not going far. "You hurt my friends!" he shouted in retaliation. "You stole..." he continued softer, his gaze growing distant as he looked towards the ground and gently touched his fingers to his lips. In the next moment his gaze snapped back to Vanitas, his glare full of hurt and betrayal. "I'll never forgive you!" he promised as he swung his arm down, summoning his keyblade to his side. Ven knew he didn't have the strength to actually fight Vanitas, but darn if he wasn't going to try.

Vanitas crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, unthreatened by Ventus preparing for attack. He noticed his other half had sidestepped the question, which probably meant no, he didn't... which put Vanitas at considerable more ease than he cared to admit. He chose to ignore most of what Ventus had said in favor of focusing on one thing in particular. "...Your first? What, your first kiss? You're kidding right?  _ That's  _ what you're mad about? You and Terra are all over each other," he stated with a laugh. He gave him a look that said 'don't try to deny it, I  _ am _ you'. Were the two of them really that dense? This was actually hilarious. Nevermind it had technically been his first as well... "If it makes you feel better, it probably doesn't count since it was with, you know, yourself," he added with a smirk. The pull to be close to Ventus wasn't as strong now; it was still there, but it had been somewhat... sated. He still didn't like the idea of Ventus  _ leaving _ , but for now talking was fine. Or fighting, that was probably about to happen too. He was trying not to think about how weirdly... happy he was, right then.

Ventus shook as he looked away from Vanitas, his cheeks burning. Typical dark side, laughing this off like it was nothing... For a moment he'd almost thought Vanitas had actually started to  _ care _ about him... Well, why should he care what Vanitas thought. Vanitas reveled in his pain, would do anything to make him suffer... That much was clear. He'd probably  _ known _ that was his first kiss and stolen it anyway. His embarrassment turned to rage, hopeless anger at everything that happened, and even though he was practically dead on his feet at this point he charged at Vanitas and aimed to beat him down with his keyblade. He'd win and escape, go find Terra and... And... What would he tell Terra...

Vanitas summoned Void Gear and blocked the attack effortlessly. He frowned, so Ventus was going to just attack him without saying anything. That was no fun. He grabbed Ventus by the chin and pulled their faces close, though he didn't kiss him again. "...Ditch them and come with me. I'll take care of you. We can be together and we won't have to ever feel that weird pain ever again. You'll be better off. You'll want for nothing." And then he did kiss him. He didn't know why he had even bothered saying all of that, and he had gotten kinda carried away at the end... Ventus was obviously going to shoot him down... He had probably kissed him again so he wouldn't have to hear him say 'no'. That was stupid... Something was definitely wrong with him, but he had more important things to deal with at the moment.

Ven glared as he struggled against Vanitas, trying in vain to pull away from his grip. He should've run when he'd had the chance... Ven tried to block out the other boy's words, trying desperately to tell himself they were lies. The promises were too sweet, too sincere, too  _ tempting _ ... They had to be a trick. It didn't matter if they were a trick or not because he  _ didn't want them _ . Not from Vanitas. Not from someone who was painful to be around but worse to be separated from. No, he wouldn't listen, he had to keep fighting to get away, had to get back to his friends.

Ven opened his mouth to call for Terra again barely a moment before Vanitas once again crashed their lips together. He struggled for all of two seconds before that wash of  _ completeness _ started filling him up again, stealing his strength and making his knees weak. It wasn't supposed to feel like this, not with  _ him _ ... Tears once again began to pour from Ven's eyes as he squeezed them shut. He brought his hands to Vanitas' chest and tried to push him away, but there was no force to it. Terra would never forgive him if he just let Vanitas keep having his way with him like this... He had to do something to get away, but he was so tired of fighting, and his brain was mushy from the exhaustion and the effects of Vanitas' presence. What could he do...? Internally he begged for someone to save him from this nightmare.

Vanitas hummed softly, glad Ventus had... well, not exactly given up per se, but wasn't really putting up much of a fight anymore regardless. The hand on the boy's chin slid into his hair, and the other snaked around his waist, pulling him closer and thumb rubbing over his hip. This was much better. Ventus was all  _ his _ and nothing and no one could stop him. If things continued on like this, he might actually be able to drag him back to base with him... The old man would probably give him a lot of shit for it but whatever. There were more important things. Things like what was happening right then. The fact that Ventus still tasted like ice cream...

" _ Get the hell OFF HIM! _ " was the only warning Vanitas got before the ground under him shot up between him and Ventus, forcing the two apart. Terra ran to Ven's side, catching him because it looked like he was about to fall over. He held him close with one arm and pointed his keyblade with the other. "Don't you  _ ever. _ " Terra glared, for the first time since he'd been himself again, he found it difficult to control his Darkness. " _ Ever  _ touch him  _ again! _ " he warned. He was literally shaking with anger. Of all the things he'd expected to find,  _ that _ had not been one of them.

Vanitas was extremely disappointed at being interrupted, even more so at the sudden distance there was now between him and Ven, but he didn't let it show. He smirked dangerously at Terra. "Sorry, no promises there." He realised he was poking an angry tiger at this point, but he really didn't care; honestly he found Terra's pain to be extremely satisfying. "And for the record, he wasn't trying all that hard to resist." That was really only half true, Ventus had only stopped resisting after he wore him down, but even if he told his tall friend the truth the seed of doubt had already been planted. All these years and Terra was  _ still _ easy to manipulate, it seemed.

"You're lying!" Terra shouted, but Vanitas could see the fear in his eyes. Terra held Ven closer.

Ven's weight sagged against Terra as the taller man held him close. If his friend hadn't caught him Ventus would have slumped to the floor, too exhausted and in pain and  _ not _ in pain to stand. He was still trembling, tears still streaming from his eyes both from relief and shame. Terra was finally here to rescue him from this nightmare... Ven turned his head towards Terra, away from Vanitas, away from the awful feeling of emptiness that was pulling at his heart, and sobbed into his friend's shirt. "I'm sorry..." he whispered brokenly, barely able to comprehend what was going on around him anymore other than that he was somewhere safe now. The danger of Vanitas lurking didn't register past the comfort of Terra's arm holding him close. The relief he felt from Terra's presence just caused him to sob louder. "I'm so sorry...!"

"Ven, you didn't do anything wrong- you don't have to apologize!" Terra insisted, his heart breaking watching Ven like this; crying, hurt, and broken. Part of him tried to tell him that what Vanitas said could have been true, and that was why Ven kept saying he was sorry, but he ignored it. Ven obviously wouldn't be  _ crying  _ if he'd enjoyed any of that. He wanted to comfort the boy properly, but he couldn't afford to let his guard down with Vanitas still here. He glared at the boy in question.

Vanitas rolled his eyes. What did he do now? He could try and get Ven back, but he'd probably wind up having to hurt him in the process... Not that that  _ mattered _ , obviously, he just... didn't want to break his new toy. Yeah... He was going to have to leave him, wasn't he? The thought made him sick; he didn't want to be separated from Ven ever again, not now that he knew what it was like to be  _ whole _ , but he didn't have much choice... Taking on Terra by himself would be unwise, especially while he was so... distracted. And Ventus definitely wouldn't forgive him if he seriously hurt Terra of all people... Damn it, that didn't matter either, what was wrong with him? "...Well, have fun with my sloppy seconds." He rubbed salt in the wound and gave a small wave as he spoke. A Corridor of Darkness opened behind him but before he stepped through he turned back to Ven. "And Ventus? My offer still stands. If you ever want to see me, I'll be there." And with that he left. He didn't really have a way to contact Ventus but... somehow, he knew he'd know. Just like how he always knew where he was.

The second Vanitas was gone Terra sank to the floor, keyblade tossed aside and cradling Ven in his arms. "Ven! Ven are you alright? What did he do to you? Say something..." he begged at the end, just being able to hear the blonde's voice again would be enough somehow. He just... How could he let this happen? How could he fail to protect him like this? He carefully wiped the tears from the boy's eyes. He would do anything for Ven,  _ anything,  _ anything to somehow make this better, he just had to say the word. "I won't let him hurt you again..." he murmured.

"I'm sorry..." were the first words that left Ven's lips again. Every part of him ached, and all he wanted was to be wrapped in Terra's embrace and held close. Surely that would make the pain go away. The pain that had gone away when Vanitas had... "I tried to stop him, I swear I did, but...! He... He wouldn't listen to me, and I couldn't get him off, not even when I tried my hardest and...! And I... I just..." Ven tried to explain, becoming more hysterical the more he talked. He couldn't see Terra's face clearly through his tears, so he could only guess what expression he was making. Would Terra forgive him for not being able to stop Vanitas from...? His mind rebelled at the word, not wanting to even think about what had happened anymore. He was just so tired, it all hurt so much... Ven felt like he was going to be ill. Why did it have to turn out like this... All he wanted was to be with Terra, and then  _ this _ happened...

Terra held Ven close, wrapping both his arms around him and burying his face in his hair. "It's alright. I believe you. It wasn't your fault Ven- no matter what kind of mind games he tries to play with you it wasn't your fault. It's over now. You're safe. I'm here, I've got you..." He was gently rubbing Ven's back, trying to help the boy calm down. Damn Vanitas,  _ damn him.  _ This was all his fault. He'd never seen Ven so... broken. It hurt to see him like this, so much, but he had to be strong. He had to take care of Ven and protect him now. He kissed his hair. He wanted to do more, but he didn't want to... trigger him, after what just happened. "I'm sorry..." he finally said, caving into the guilt. "I should have been here sooner. If I had just... This is my fault..." he murmured into his hair, almost inaudible. He held him tighter. "I'll never let you go again..." he said more to himself than Ven.

Ven's sobbing softened slightly as he let Terra's words calm him. Unlike all the things Vanitas had said, Ven let Terra's words sink in, wrapping them around his heart like bandages. Terra was right, he was safe now, it wasn't his fault, Terra didn't hate him... Ven sniffed as more tears fell down his cheeks. He was too exhausted to try and stop them. The hollow ache that had settled in his chest was still there, though, keeping the pain of his heart just shy of unbearable. But, it would go away. Terra was here now, it didn't matter what being near Vanitas was like because he had Terra... Maybe... Maybe if he tried hard enough, he could get Terra to fill that void instead... It made perfect sense in the near-delirious state Ven was in. With what strength remained in his limbs, Ven shakily lifted his arms and wrapped them as tightly as he could around his friend, his hands fisting in his shirt. Terra was so warm... Maybe if he took a nap, when he woke up this would've all been just a bad dream, and he'd be warm and safe somewhere with Terra far far away from the dark half of his heart...

"I'm here, I'm here..." Terra kept repeating, stroking Ven's back as he continued sobbing into him. He was relieved when Ven hugged him back, taking it as a sign that the boy was getting better, or maybe wasn't as hurt as he thought he'd been. He stayed like that for a long while, gently rocking Ven in his arms and whispering kind words to soothe him. He still didn't feel like he was doing enough though; that he was a failure for not cheering him up faster, for not protecting him in the first place. After a while he pulled back- not far, just enough to be able to look Ven in the eyes. He carefully wiped the tears away again. "...Are you feeling any better?" he asked tentatively, not sure if he had waited long enough.

Ven looked back up at Terra, his eyes still full of sorrow but no longer streaming tears. He wasn't sure if he actually felt better or had just run out of tears to cry. In the end he told himself it was because he felt better, because he  _ did _ feel better when Terra was holding him like this, promising everything would be all right... Even though his heart still hurt, the pain had dulled somewhat, and Ven let himself believe it was because he was with Terra and not because Vanitas was far away. It had to be because of Terra, didn't it? They were always together, and his heart had never hurt like that before he'd been stolen away from him... After a moment that was probably too long for Terra, Ven looked away and nodded before burying his face in his friend's chest again. He didn't want to spend even a moment separated from him, that would just... be too painful... "I'm sorry..." Ven whispered almost inaudibly, but he sounded more tired than upset now. That was surely an improvement, right?

"Stop saying that...!" Terra begged; it had been quiet, but he heard it clearly. Ven didn't need to apologize, he hadn't done anything wrong. He hugged him tightly to his chest, burying his face in blonde hair again. "I'll never let something like this happen to you again. I promise. I'll never leave your side..." he vowed. He couldn't bear to see Ven like this, it was killing him. He just wanted to see him smile... "...What can I do to make it better? Anything! I don't care just-" He held him tight. He was finding it difficult to speak, on the verge of tears himself now. "Please be happy again... Ven..."

Ven's heart hurt again, but for a different reason than before. He was overcome with the urge to make Terra happy, not wanting to see him cry because Ven had failed to protect himself. He nuzzled Terra's chest lightly, settling into the tightened grip willingly. Maybe on another day it would be tight enough to hurt, but right now it just made him feel safe and loved... Allowing a watery smile to find its way onto his face, Ven looked up at Terra and asked with hopeful eyes, "...Can I... put ice cream on your nose again?" It had been the first thing that came to mind that didn't involve a certain romantic activity that he didn't want to think about at all right now, and hopefully it would be just ridiculous enough that it would make Terra smile or laugh. Maybe if Terra smiled, Ven would find it easier to do the same...

And smile Terra did. He let out a small choked laugh and forced the tears to keep from falling. "You can put ice cream on my whole face if you want," he said, running his hand through the blonde's hair lovingly, relieved as Ven's watery smile turned genuine. He knew Ven was forcing himself for his sake, but seeing even a fake smile lifted his spirits. They could just... pretend they were happy until they actually were. That would work. Without thinking about it, he leaned down and kissed Ven on the forehead. Which he immediately regretted- he pulled away fast and looked away. "Sorry..." he apologized, he didn't want to upset Ven with the wrong kind of contact after what had just happened. It wasn't like it wasn't something he did all the time, but he was still worried it was something off limits at the moment.

Ven relaxed somewhat as Terra ran his hand through his hair, and a fraction more when his forehead was met with a kiss. But then Terra pulled away and Ven, out of sheer panic, found himself talking before his brain could catch up with an actual sentence. "No it's-! It's fine, really! I..." wanted him to kiss more than just his forehead, but he couldn't say that. Even before this incident he'd never been able to say that, that's how Vanitas had wound up stealing his... Ven looked away guiltily. He'd wanted so badly to save that for Terra, but now... They were back to square one it seemed, their momentary happiness snatched away yet again by what Vanitas had done. How could he convey to Terra that he didn't mind the contact and have him believe him?

Ven sighed softly and nuzzled his head against Terra's chest again, readjusting his grip on the taller boy. He... He really loved Terra, a lot, more than he was ever willing to admit to anyone. Even himself. If Terra stayed away from him and didn't do things like kiss him on the forehead or hold him close because he thought it would upset Ven, then he really  _ would _ be upset... "Please don't hold yourself back for my sake," he begged softly. "Anything's okay, if it's you..."

Terra's smile fell when Ven looked away from him, assuming what he'd done had actually bothered him and he just wouldn't admit it. What Ven said next had his heart beating fast in his chest. Did he just...? No, that was impossible. "...You don't mean that," Terra said softly, unable to look Ven in the eye. He was smiling sadly, expecting the official rejection he had been avoiding for so long. "...You wouldn't want me to..." He glanced back at Ven, from his eyes to his lips, and then away again. Of course Ven didn't want him to  _ actually  _ kiss him. Why would he want anything like that after what just happened? Terra felt guilty just for wanting it at a time like this...

"Yes I do!" Ven answered without hesitation, pulling away from Terra slightly so he could look him properly in the eye. His mouth was on autopilot, not waiting for his brain to catch up and stop him and keep him and Terra apart again. "The whole time with Vanitas, I was only able to keep resisting because I thought of you! Even when the rest of me wanted to give in, I didn't because he wasn't you! You're the one I want to be with, Terra!" Ven was on the verge of tears again as the words came pouring out. He supposed he should have expected it, the gash in his heart spilling all his secrets. It couldn't be helped; now Terra knew, now Terra had a chance to reject him... But... He wouldn't, right? Ven prayed he wouldn't... If Terra rejected him now, what was left of his heart would break...

Terra stared at Ven wide-eyed in awe. This whole time... he'd felt the same way? They'd just been running around each other afraid of what the other would say? This was... this was ridiculous, but he didn't even care. He was so happy... "Ven..." was all he could manage at first, the shock still fresh. Once he managed to find his wits again he brought a hand to Ven's cheek, running his thumb over the bone lightly. He looked him straight in the eye, his expression an odd mix of seriousness and awe, and he spoke slowly. "I love you." And then he kissed him, softly, gently, sweetly... His whole body was shaking from the adrenaline, but he didn't care, Ven was here, in his arms, and just told him to kiss him, what more could he ask for?

Ven watched Terra as he waited for his response, his heart beating wildly in anticipation. The second Terra's hand rested on his cheek he leaned into the touch, a smile slowly forming on his face. That was a good sign. And then... And then Terra told him he loved him. His heart fluttered in a way it hadn't with Vanitas as Terra closed in to kiss him. While it didn't have quite the same immediate feeling of completeness, it still felt absolutely  _ wonderful _ . In a way it was actually better, because being close to Terra like this didn't hurt. This was pure bliss, and Ven melted into it, his arms moving up to wrap around Terra's neck. Like Terra, Ven was shaking, still exhausted from his struggle against Vanitas, but he didn't care. Kissing Terra was worth it. He could cry, he was so happy... But he didn't. Terra didn't want him to cry anymore, so he'd just press closer, get as close as he could get to his longtime friend-turned-love. For just that moment, that ache in his heart seemed to fade away to almost nothing...

The closer Ven got the tighter Terra held him. In that moment nothing mattered besides Ven. Ven was his whole world... He could, unfortunately, still faintly taste the darkness on Ven's lips that Vanitas left behind, but he did his best to ignore it. The rest of him tasted like ice cream, and he couldn't complain about that. After a few moments Terra finally pulled away. He was breathing heavily, but not quite panting. He just stared into those big beautiful blue eyes, hand still gently caressing Ven's cheek, the tips of his fingers brushing into his hair. "...I love you so much..." he repeated. He felt like if he stopped touching Ven somehow he'd disappear, like it'd all turn out none of this had been real, so he kept clinging to him. Ven didn't seem to mind, at least. "I will never leave your side, Ven."

Ven actually was panting, having started out more exhausted than Terra, and he very much did not mind how tightly Terra was clinging to him. More than not minding, the touch was grounding, reassuring in a way words could never truly be. Ven stared right back up into Terra's eyes, smiling as wide as he could possibly manage. "That sounds fine to me," he informed the brunette,  _ his _ brunette, leaning up for another quick peck on the lips. "I love you too..." Ven didn't think he'd ever been happier than in that moment. It almost,  _ almost _ made the incident with Vanitas worth it, if it meant he finally got to be with Terra the way he'd longed to for so long... He returned to nuzzling against Terra's chest, sighing softly as he relaxed. Everything was fine now, Terra was going to protect him, Terra loved him... And in time, he was sure that hollow ache that kept trying to settle in his chest would go away for good.

Terra felt his heart melt when Ven said he loved him too... He'd longed to hear that for so long now... Terra nuzzled his nose into Ven's spikes and wrapped both his arms around him tightly, hugging him as close as he could. He let out a content sigh. He was well and truly happy. He could stay like this forever... but unfortunately reality was a thing he had to deal with. Should they return to the others? Were they still fighting? If it was dangerous still, they were better off staying down here until things blew over but... someone had to let them know Ven was okay now, and he made a promise to Ven so he wasn't going to be leaving him anywhere anytime soon. Aqua was probably worried sick so...

Without warning Terra scooped Ven up in his arms and stood, carrying his small frie- ... _ boyfriend _ bridal style. He smiled down at him and gave him a peck on the lips, offering, "We should let Aqua know you're okay now," as explanation. Realistically, if they had to fight anything, he'd have to let Ven down but... he could keep this up for now, right? Right.

Ven squeaked and clung to Terra's neck tighter as he was picked up. He blushed like the bride he was being carried like, burying his face in Terra's neck. Even though it was an embarrassing position, it made him happy that Terra was carrying him like this... Better yet, he could continue to be as close to Terra as possible while they got away from this awful place. Ventus didn't blame the world they were in, but he'd be hard pressed to make a trip back to Pete's Rec Room in the future. "Okay..." Ven agreed, sounding embarrassed but happy. How could he be anything but happy when his beloved Terra was holding him like this?

Terra laughed. "You're adorable." He could finally say that out loud. He kissed him once on the forehead and once on the lips, lingering just a bit too long for it to qualify as a peck. Then he spun them around in a circle before finally making his way out of the area. There was an obvious spring in his step; to him Ven weighed next to nothing, so he was hardly a hindrance there. He was happy, just... so happy.


	12. Vanitas Pokes a Bear (the Bear is Isa)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> do. not. taunt. the. berserker.  
> At least Xeha is a Responsible Adult(tm) and Repliku is... 'helpful'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY GUYS WE BACK WHOOPS  
> Sorry everyone, I still don't have a car, co author also doesn't have a car now (though they get theirs back in an actual week) so things have been a bit hectic to say the least. We'll have regular updates again... eventually. Its just sad because its all prewritten it just needs the reformatting >_<

Vanitas and co. ported back into The World That Never Was on one of many vague dramatic balconies that littered the place. Vanitas was in an... interesting mood, to say the least. He kept switching between irate, contemplative and... something else that might have been called  _ dreamy _ if it wasn't coming from him. It was very strange, only one of these were normal for the spiky-haired boy after all. Xehanort was torn between his natural curiosity, not actually caring, and the feeling he didn't  _ want _ to know. The pursuit of knowledge won out in the end, as it always did. He was going to regret this. "...What happened with Ventus?"

Vanitas looked over his shoulder at him. At first he scowled - well that made sense - but then he gave an oddly... satisfied grin. "...I have discovered the wonders of selfcest," he said... airily?

"Please don't ever say that again," Xehanort said quickly, face visibly paling.

Vanitas raised an eyebrow not realizing at first- oh. Oh right. He laughed. "You know what I think I'm actually sorry about that one." He did not sound even remotely sorry. "Although... I dunno, I bet if you could work around Isa you and Xemnas-" And then he promptly took a keyblade to the back of the head. " _ Shit, _ " he cursed, doubling over. He didn't strike back though, he could admit he deserved that. "Ok, I'm done now," he said as he stood and faced Xehanort properly.

"Good." He glared, notably not dismissing his keyblade. Touchy.

"Anyway..." Vanitas said, turning his attention from Xehanort to Riku. "There's something I need to test, I need your help," he 'asked'. He didn't give the Replica any time to respond before he grabbed him by the shoulders and laid one on him. Hm... No, kissing just anyone didn't do the thing like it did with Ventus, still, this was far from unpleasant. Riku was definitely easy on the eyes... and came with the added bonus of not weirding him out like the thought of kissing the youngest Xehanort did, hence his choice in target. Yes, maybe making out with the Replica should be added to his list of past times... He would have to get on that. But right now he had to... continue actively doing that. Yeah.

Xehanort blushed - though it hardly showed on his dark complexion - and looked away instinctively. When he realized he was being stupid, he replaced his reaction with a more appropriate call of, " _ Vanitas. _ " He was ignored. Why was he surprised.

Repliku was confused at first what Vanitas could want his help with. Honestly, he, too, was a bit weirded out by the selfcest remark, figuring out what it meant primarily from context. The idea of himself and Riku was surely as weird as their Xehanort with... literally any one of the other Xehanorts running around. He didn't get the chance to ask for any kind of clarification before Vanitas was suddenly on him, pressing their lips together. He... What??? Why was Vanitas kissing him??? Repliku froze and just stared wide-eyed at Vanitas, not sure... how to handle what was happening. He... Should he be getting Vanitas off him? Kissing back?  _ What _ ? But, as strange, unexpected, and downright  _ weird _ it was for Vanitas to be kissing him, it did feel sort of good... Repliku relaxed slightly, hoping Xehanort either wouldn't notice or that he'd be able to write it off as just being stunned.

Vanitas showed no signs of backing off anytime soon. Though he was a bit annoyed at the lack of a proper response. He dug his fingers into the Replica's shoulders and kissed rougher, hoping to elicit some kind of reaction. He would, however, not be staying there long enough to see what it was, as a blue energy whip and found its way around his neck and was yanking him back off the Replica and onto his ass. "What the  _ hell!? _ " he asked incredulously, turning to glare at Xehanort.

Xehanort glared right back, raising an eyebrow at Vanitas' preposterous notion that  _ he  _ was the one out of line in this situation. "I am assuming no one has ever explained this to you," he spoke slowly, condescendingly, as if to a child. "But you cannot just kiss your friends."

Vanitas glared. "What 'friends'."

Xehanort sighed. Ah yes, he had made the mistake of using the 'f word'. Unlike his two friends - and yes, they were friends, unfortunately - he was the only one who had actually experienced a normal childhood and therefore the correct perception of 'friendship'. Well, he had never really had 'normal' friends, but Vanille and Jecht were a far cry from the amount of insanity he had to put up with from Vanitas alone. His face found his hand. "You cannot just kiss  _ people _ ," he corrected. Had Vanitas been spending time around Braig? This whole conversation was absurd.

Repliku stumbled back a few steps when he was released from Vanitas' grip. That had... Wow. A strange pang had run through his heart when Vanitas had roughened the kiss, and... Maybe there was something worth pursuing there. In the next moment Repliku shook his head to clear his thoughts. That was  _ dangerous _ territory he was getting into with thoughts like that. "A-Anyway," Repliku began, clearing his throat when his voice cracked. "Should we, uh... recap on what happened, or...?" The Replica was very obviously blushing as a result of Vanitas' assault, and he couldn't make eye contact with either of the others. What had Vanitas been  _ testing _ with that...?

"Well, I found out I can get high by making out with Ventus." Vanitas grinned from the floor, not bothering to stand back up. He left out all the 'feeling complete again' 'unshakable bond' 'being whole with my other half' stuff, because no one else needed to know about that. Only him and Ventus. It'd be way too much of a liability if anyone found out Ventus could be a potential weakness... which he  _ wasn't  _ he just... yeah.

Xehanort returned his face to his palm before it had even fully left. "...I believe we had figured that out, Vanitas." He sighed. So Vanitas had accomplished nothing productive, that was unsurprising. "I fought with Sora, Riku, and Kairi, but was unable to single any of them out long enough. The battle ended in a stalemate," he said, choosing to ignore Vanitas' bullshit for the time being. At least knowing Vanitas might currently be literally intoxicated explained a few things... "What about you, Riku?" he asked, giving the boy an excuse to talk about something else and politely ignoring his disheveled state.

Repliku ran a hand over his face to try and get his expression back to somewhat normal before reporting what he'd been up to. "I managed to single out a couple of them, but as we theorized Terra seems completely immune to the full sway of darkness now. Lea might consider the offer if he wasn't so busy telling me to relay to Isa that he said hello and that he 'hopes he chokes on it', whatever that means," he relayed, his expression falling to one of minor frustration. Objectively Terra and Lea were their highest desired vessels, other than Sora, so the failure of even beginning to recruit them wasn't a pleasant notion... But... Repliku looked up and smirked slightly at the other two. "Xion, however, may be persuadable. Despite her protests, I saw her doubt. I think with the right promises we could get her to switch sides," he explained, feeling rather proud of himself. Had either of the other two tried to convert her he knew they would've failed. What had gotten to her was the bond they shared as Replicas, after all. How she could stand being so close to Even all the time was beyond him...

Vanitas all but cackled when Riku finished. It was a bit of a delayed reaction, but it didn't matter. "Oh, you  _ have _ to be sure I'm there when you tell Isa! Hell,  _ I'll  _ tell him! I don't even care!" And he really didn't, he was one of few people in the castle who wasn't at least wary of the berserker's temper. It was a miracle it hadn't gotten him killed yet.

Xehanort shook his head, deciding to once again ignore Vanitas. It was his funeral. "Well, at least you made some progress. More than us, at least." He glared at Vanitas momentarily to make a point. "And it was to be expected about Terra..."

"Actually," Vanitas piped up, having something productive to say for a change. "I might have found a way to drag him back down. When I saw him the darkness was just about to spill over." He smirked, proud of himself for being productive and having his fun- even if it was just a lucky coincidence.

Xehanort blinked, looking actually surprised; well, as surprised as he ever looked. "...How?"

"He walked in on me and Ventus." Vanitas beamed, thinking back fondly at the memory. Watching Terra shatter hadn't quite been worth being separated from Ventus, but it was still a consolation of sorts.

Xehanort sighed. That was... Well, he couldn't deny that that sounded incredibly effective, but even he thought it was a bit much. Maybe it was just his natural inclination to not indulge Vanitas. Still, he almost felt bad for Terra. Almost.

Repliku... wasn't sure how to react to that news. It was good to know they could use Terra and Ventus against each other, but... Well, he had personally tried that to no effect. Of course, walking in on 'selfcest' was probably a bit more traumatic and hard to justify than some random Seeker of Darkness promising to let him see the kid sometimes if he joined their side. At least he'd been right about Ven not being the same when Terra found him... "We'll have to be careful how we play that angle if we decide to use it. Likewise, it would probably be a good idea if I was the one who tried to recruit Xion, should we decide to pursue her. I've got a good idea of what she wants," the Replica concluded, grinning at the other two. Oh, he was forming  _ so many _ plans to recruit his fellow Replica... All it would take was the right truthful story about a certain ex-Nobody...

Xehanort nodded. "Of course. We will leave her to you." It only made sense to send one Replica after the other, after all. He had no doubt Riku would be the only one capable of successfully bringing her to their side.

Vanitas looked from Riku to Xehanort to up at the sky, then back to Riku again. "...So now what?" They had their little adventure, but sadly it was over now. It had been fun.  _ Very fun _ . But now they were back at their boring old castle. "...Wanna go find Isa and tell him what Lea said?" he asked excitedly. That would certainly be entertaining.

Xehanort frowned. "I do not think that is wise..." he warned. Though he realized at this point he might as well be telling a window to stop being transparent.

Repliku shrugged. "I don't have a deathwish, but if you wanna go get decapitated I don't have a problem tagging along to watch," he said, smirking at Vanitas. Like before when they'd gone to Disney Town to ambush the heroes of light, the likelihood Xehanort was going to be able to dissuade the darkness dorks from being stupid was minimal.

Isa, for once, was not faithfully shadowing his former Superior. He still  _ thought _ of Xemnas as his Superior, but rankings were a little different amongst the Seekers of Darkness. As much as he loathed agreeing with Even on literally anything, he had to admit it was nice not being an objectively lower rank than Braig anymore... Just thinking about it made his blood boil. Well, no matter. He'd just come down to fetch something to eat, and then he'd go find Xemnas again. He didn't like being away from the other man for extended periods of time. Isa was likely to... well, murder someone otherwise.

Much to what all present were sure was Isa's immediate displeasure, the three youngest Seekers came walking into the room; Vanitas with a dangerous grin on his face and Xehanort trailing further behind than usual, but looking his usual apathetic self. Vanitas leaned on a table next to the blue-haired man and leaned his chin on his palm. "So Isa, we ran into Lea today," he began, the smug grin still firmly in place. He was sure just Lea's name would be enough to get the man's attention. Xehanort and the Replica wisely stayed by the door.

Gold eyes snapped to gold at the mention of the berserker's ex. "Is that so," Isa said, his tone laced with a warning of danger. Vanitas annoyed him frequently on a personal level, and he'd  _ longed _ for a reason to hurt him for a while now. Xemnas wasn't actively around to give him orders not to hurt the boy, and the smug look Vanitas was giving him was  _ begging _ for it. Still, he was  _ technically _ a Seeker, so he technically  _ shouldn't _ attack him, but... Well, since when did literally any of them do what they were supposed to 100% of the time?

Vanitas was unfazed, as always. If anything, his shit-eating grin only grew. "He left a message for you." He paused to let it sink in, to let Isa soak up the anticipation. "He said... 'hello'." He paused again, as if that were all, to see Isa's reaction. It was the calm before the storm. The man was already about to snap, just wait until he heard the rest of it. This was going to be hilarious.

"Why thank you for your faithful messenger service," Isa deadpanned, looking completely unimpressed. As usual, Vanitas was just trying to waste his time... The old man really should let the kid out more, maybe then he wouldn't be so infuriating to be around. Well, he'd still be as infuriating, he just wouldn't be as  _ around _ . Isa began to make his leave, having none of the patience necessary to deal with a being like  _ Vanitas _ . Even Braig was more tolerable than that brat... Now, where had Xemnas said he was going to be again...?

"He also said-" Vanitas said louder as Isa began to leave. He himself stood up straight. A grin could not eat more shit than this one. "He 'hopes you choke on it'!" Ah yes, time to watch it all fall apart. He was ready for this. And so was Xehanort, who was backing away slowly.

Isa froze. He was facing away from the trio of young Seekers, so none of them saw the wicked grin that slowly formed on his face. By the time Isa turned to face them again, there was an almost normal smile there instead.  _ Too _ normal. He approached Vanitas again, patting him on the head and patronizingly saying, "Thank you, Vanitas. You truly  _ are _ a faithful messenger. I can hear the words in his voice now." And oh could he. That was certainly word for word what Lea had said, tenses changed of course. That knowledge only added fuel to the fire.

"I trust you will also do a faithful job in delivering my response," Isa continued, his grin turning wicked. The hand in Vanitas' hair fisted in it then lifted him by it, holding the Unversed's master a full foot and a half off the ground. In the next instant the luna diviner flung Vanitas with all his strength against the nearest wall, after which the boy had well over a five foot drop to look forward to. While Vanitas was in the air Isa summoned his claymore, the wicked, sadistic smile still twisting his face as he prepared to once again attack the current object of his rage.

Vanitas had frowned when the man patted his head, but before he could protest his feet were no longer touching the ground. Shit. He struggled, of course, but before he could do much of anything he went flying and hit the wall, the wind knocked completely out of him. He was falling and a claymore was coming at him. Shitshit _ shit.  _ He  _ barely _ managed to summon Void Gear, and it was all he could do to shield his face from the incoming blow. He braced himself, forcing his eyes to stay open when he wanted to squeeze them shut.

Xehanort sighed. Well, they - he and Riku - knew this was going to happen. And honestly Vanitas deserved this... He still felt bad though. Isa's rage was a terrifying form of torture. They probably should have gathered some potions... Oh well. Admittedly, watching the man snap  _ had _ been funny...

Vanitas' suffering was only beginning. The boy had picked a  _ bad _ night to irritate him as evidenced by his full berserker transformation. Isa pushed against Void Gear with his claymore, but then took advantage of the weapons' shapes to hook onto it and pull Vanitas away from the wall, flinging him towards the center of the room and through a couple chairs. Obviously Isa had no concept of collateral damage when he was in this state. He then jumped high and came down nearly on top of Vanitas, slamming his claymore into the floor and missing his face by bare inches. There was no way to avoid the shockwave from that distance, of course, and once it dissipated Isa made another approach and swung his claymore with the intent to cleave Vanitas in two. Likely not even Xemnas would be able to calm him now, not without serious effort.

Vanitas rolled out of the way, narrowly missing the direct hit but still taking the shock wave. He groaned, got up, and  _ ran _ to the other side of the room, firing dark blasts behind him. He was beat up, but the pain was something familiar, so it wasn't too bad. He just didn't want to get cut in  _ half. _ Although he wasn't sure he couldn't just be put back together... but he didn't want to test it. "You know, I'll  _ try _ to deliver this message as is, but he's taller than me so I'm not sure how I'm gonna do the first part," he said, unable to keep his mouth shut. Yes, let's piss the berserker off  _ more _ .  _ That _ was a good idea.

"He's  _ still _ taunting Isa?" Repliku whispered to Xehanort, practically hiding behind the door. He'd only been told about Isa's rage, this was the first time he'd actually seen it in action, and shockingly it actually seemed legitimately as bad as he'd heard. "That guy likes pain..."

"...Yes. He is a masochist," Xehanort whispered back, unsure if the Replica realized this was literally true. Vanitas  _ loved _ pain. He injured himself regularly by destroying his own Unversed. Of course, this threatened to go beyond just pain, and if Vanitas' life came into real danger they would... have to step in. And then things would get  _ messy.  _ Maybe he could stop time long enough to find Xemnas...

Repliku blinked, looking at Xehanort and then back to Vanitas. He voiced his new understanding with a simple, "...Oh."

Isa, meanwhile, gave no indication he'd even heard Vanitas speak. He continued slamming his claymore into the ground, sending shockwave after shockwave Vanitas' way. Thankfully the castle in The World That Never Was was built very sturdily, or they would surely be having structural issues by now. Isa jumped again, aiming to close in on Vanitas and ideally bring his claymore down on his head, but barring that the shockwave would do. The Sora look-alike couldn't run forever, and once he tired Isa would rip him limb from limb and tear out his still-beating heart. Everything about him promised Vanitas pain if he got caught by the berserker.

Vanitas' legs were shaking from the constant shockwaves, but he managed to stay standing. He brought his keyblade up to block the claymore, but the force of it brought him to his knees, his legs finally giving out. He tried swiping at Isa's midsection from where he was on the floor, but the attack was much weaker than it should have been. This was bad...

Despite Vanitas' waning efforts, Isa showed no signs of relenting, or even being tired. He deflected the keyblade strike with ease before effectively backhanding Vanitas with his claymore, once more sending him flying at a wall but this time part of the blade actually slicing at him. It was, after all, very large and pointy. Isa ran up to Vanitas again, this time specifically aiming to maim one of his opponent's legs. This battle had gone on long enough that he was even  _ more _ irritated, and if it was going to keep taking time then he wanted the pest's death to be as slow and painful as possible. Besides, if he maimed one of Vanitas' legs he wouldn't be able to keep running away like a pathetic rabbit trying to escape from a wolf. No, there would be no escape from Isa's rage, and if he had to completely dismember him to ensure that, so be it.

Vanitas hit the floor hard and the wall harder. He  _ felt _ the bones breaking that time. He coughed, and his spittle was flecked with blood. That wasn't good. And his shoulder was bleeding  _ everywhere _ . He'd be enjoying this more if he was less sure Isa was going to actually kill him... He got up, using his keyblade as a crutch, but it was hardly fast enough. His leg was cut wide open and he fell over again, crying out. Shit.  _ Shit.  _ No way, was he actually going to die here? What would happen to Ventus...

And then time stopped. Xehanort was running across the room and pulling Vanitas up and out the best he could, but he was obviously too injured to walk. He had left Riku and Vanitas able to move in the paused space with him; it would mean less time, but he wouldn't be able to pull this off alone.

Vanitas looked up, honestly confused. Xehanort was... saving him? That was a sentence he never thought he'd hear... Well, he couldn't say he wasn't grateful, but... "What the hell are you doing?" he asked as he was dragged across the floor.

"Saving your sorry life, I thought that was obvious," Xehanort replied. Vanitas didn't really know what to say, so for a change he shut up.

Repliku understood immediately why he was left able to move in the frozen timespace. Terrified as he was of the motionless berserker, he ran to meet Xehanort and Vanitas halfway. Repliku grimaced at Vanitas' leg; was that bone he saw? He didn't want to think about it. Turning away and kneeling on one knee, the Replica insisted, "Here, get him on my back, there's no way he's gonna be able to walk like that." Looking over his shoulder at Vanitas, he very pointedly readdressed, "There's no way  _ you're _ going to be able to walk like that." Maybe if they weren't about to have an angry targetless berserker on their tails it would've been fine, but they were really gonna need to run soon...

"Yeah yeah..." Vanitas whined, but didn't protest, letting Xehanort help him onto Riku's back. He clung as tightly as he could manage with a bum arm and leg and buried his face in the crook of his neck; light was beginning to give him a headache apparently, and this was the most effective way to shield his eyes. He also just enjoyed being close to the Replica, but even he could admit that needed to wait until they were the fuck out of there.

Once Vanitas was secure Xehanort grabbed Riku by the wrist and  _ ran _ . Out of the room, down the hall, as far as they could possibly make it before time began to flow again. "As soon as time starts to flow again, I'm making a Corridor of Darkness away from this place. Don't stop running- just go through," he instructed. And just like that time began to move again. The only indication was the crashing from behind them. The portal opened before them and they ran through.

Repliku resolutely refused to look behind him in case he saw a frightening yellow-eyed glare coming at him from down the hall as he stepped through the portal and into... some room. He wasn't sure he'd ever been here before, so he looked around, trying to place just where they were. "Where are we?" he decided to ask rather than just guess in the dark.

"My room. It is on the other side of the castle. We should be safe." He didn't like the should. Once Vanitas' wounds had been tended to, one of them ought to fetch Xemnas. "Put him down on the bed," Xehanort instructed while he rummaged around through some chests and drawers until he found... "Ah." He started pulling out hi-potions. He didn't use them himself too much, he could simply rewind his own time to heal himself, but they were handy for emergencies, like this.

Vanitas saw this and whined. "Can't you just use the time rewind thing?"

Xehanort shook his head. "I can only use that on myself - my actual self - I'm afraid..."

Vanitas groaned loudly. He looked around the room curiously to distract himself in the meantime. It wasn't big... It wasn't really messy, but it wasn't exactly clean either. There were papers and books covering almost every horizontal surface. Despite the number of things rummaged through to get to the potions, there wasn't really all that much in the way of furniture, and there was no unique decor of any kind. He wasn't really surprised, but he was kinda disappointed anyway.

Repliku deposited his charge on the bed as ordered none-too-gently. Despite Vanitas' injuries, the knowledge that Vanitas was a masochist and the somewhat vindictive side of him that said that's what he got for challenging Isa meant he didn't bother putting Vanitas down with any kind of special care. He was gonna get fixed up anyway and it wasn't like getting dropped on a bed would kill the guy, so it was fine. Repliku was more focused on raising an eyebrow at Xehanort and asking, "Won't Isa be able to smell Vanitas' blood or something? The guy's got a crazy good nose." Wasn't that a terrifying thought, a berserk Isa breaking through Xehanort's door...

"Oof," Vanitas said as he was dropped on the bed. He didn't complain, he didn't really care, no one here was trying to actively dismember him so it was fine. "I'm not doing your laundry," he declared as his blood began to soak through the sheets. He went on ignored.

Xehanort scooped up the potions and deposited them on the nightstand, then rummaged for his first aid kit. "It's a big castle. Besides..." He found the kit and opened it to be sure everything was there. "...Xemnas' room is between here and there. It is rather close by actually." He frowned at the thought. "...We can go fetch him sooner rather than later, but first we should be sure Vanitas doesn't bleed out."

The frown didn't go unnoticed by Vanitas, and he jumped to what was to him the most obvious conclusion. He grinned. "...You overhear them don't you?" he asked. He thought it was funny, Xehanort did not.

Xehanort sighed. Well, Vanitas may have been being petulant, but his leg was also just barely still attached to him, so he supposed he'd humor him. It was also, unfortunately, the truth. "...Unfortunately," he said as he brought the kit over and began to closer examine his wounds. Vanitas laughed, but didn't say anything else. "Start drinking potions," he instructed. Vanitas rolled his eyes, but did as he was told, chugging down one after the other. He could feel some of his bones mending in his ribcage, and the cut on his shoulder was closing, but his leg was beyond that at the moment.

Xehanort pulled out a needle and thread. "I assume you don't want painkillers."

"Nope," Vanitas said without hesitation. Oh, it hurt like a  _ bitch _ . Even he had his limits, this had stopped feeling good a while ago, but it was a matter of pride.

Xehanort began sewing up the wound. Vanitas hissed, but bore with it. He looked up at Riku, one eye shut from the pain, and he managed a smile. He reached a hand out to him weakly and grabbed his wrist then said, "...Kiss it and make it better?" They were out of the frying pan now, so a little flirting couldn't hurt. Besides, he might get special treatment out of pity. He was pretty fucked up after all. Over something stupid, but he still thought it was worth it.

Repliku just raised his eyebrow at Vanitas, very resolutely determined not to look anywhere near his leg. He could handle some gore, but that was a bit much for him. "What do you think I have, magic spit?" he replied teasingly. Part of him was tempted, but, well, Xehanort was still here. For some reason that was a deterrent. Still, he didn't pull his hand away from Vanitas' grasp. That was all the pity contact he intended to give him, though. Perhaps in an attempt to keep conversation going or perhaps in an effort to figure out if what Xehanort had said was actually true, Repliku continued, "Besides, I thought you liked pain."

Vanitas pouted through the grimace. "Not  _ this _ much... shit!" Vanitas jerked when Xehanort hit something more sensitive with the needle, his grip tightening on the Replica. He did like pain, but he had never been this injured before. It was something new, and he definitely wasn't enjoying it. People helping and healing him was  _ also _ new. The old man had only ever left him for dead, he didn't understand why his younger self was being so... caring? It was weird. He couldn't bring himself to focus too much on that right now though, he couldn't really focus on much of anything.

Xehanort carefully pushed his leg back down when it jerked. "Be still," he chided softly, then went back to work. It was a huge wound, it would take a while to get it back to a state where potions and magic could do anything. Well, a good Curaga might actually do something, but the only one in the whole castle who could cast that to his knowledge was his eldest self, who he doubted would help and he didn't particularly want to get involved anyway.

Repliku grimaced himself when Vanitas tightened his grip. Well, good to know even Vanitas had his limits... Maybe next time he wouldn't challenge Isa like that. Still, he felt kind of bad, Vanitas  _ was _ in a lot of pain now... "Do you need me to do anything?" Repliku asked Xehanort, subtly moving to hold Vanitas' hand properly and rubbing his thumb over the back of it. It would be bad if Vanitas was needed and he wasn't able to perform his duties because of these wounds. Yeah, that was why he was asking, he definitely didn't actually care about the guy or anything... Masochistic idiot.

Xehanort shook his head. "Almost done. Keep distracting him," was all he said, not pausing from the quick stitching at all. The stitches weren't very even but... Well, he wasn't a doctor, it was to be expected. They were lucky he knew this much, and that was only because Jecht had gotten bitten by a shark once. Jecht and Vanitas would get along, they were both idiots...

Vanitas found himself clutching onto Riku's hand for dear life; he was too delirious to be embarrassed. The longer this went on the more the pain fogged his brain, and he began to say things he never realized or meant to say out loud. "...I wonder if Ventus can feel this..." he mused. Probably not, but he was... worried? No that wasn't right. Was it? Shit- that hurt... He looked up at Riku, though he was having trouble getting his eyes to focus. "...Thanks..." He had never thanked anyone before. He had never had a reason to. No one had ever really been nice to him. But these two were being nice... He didn't understand why, but they were. It was so weird.

Repliku squeezed Vanitas' hand back slightly, if for no other reason than to keep circulation going in his own hand. The guy was in worse shape than he'd thought before... What was that about Ventus being able to feel this? Was that some kind of side effect of however Vanitas knew when Ven had left Radiant Garden? He was definitely missing some information. Repliku was about to ask what he meant when the other boy looked up and thanked him with unfocused eyes. That... wasn't good, and was  _ totally _ out of character. "H-Hey, keep it together," Repliku said, sounding more concerned than he'd meant to. The silver-haired boy moved to sit on the bed next to Vanitas and reached over to cup his cheek, trying to keep Vanitas' focus on him and hopefully off of his leg. He kept talking to try and command Vanitas' focus, continuing, "Just focus on me, all right? You're gonna be okay, Xehanort will fix you up, just focus on me for now, all right?"

"Okay..." Vanitas managed, still kind of out of it. He stared up at the Replica, trying to focus on pretty green eyes... Green? He thought they were blue... "Your eyes change color," he said as though that was relevant and something important to the current situation.

"He may have lost more blood than we thought..." Xehanort finished the last stitch, finally, and reached over for another hi-potion. "This will be... unpleasant," he warned, before popping the lid off and pouring it over the wound.

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK," Vanitas yelled, his other arm flying over to cling to the now much closer Replica, practically pulling his upper body into the boy's lap. It was  _ excruciating,  _ but after a moment, the pain began to dull rapidly, the tissue finally close enough together to repair itself with the aid of the potion. He let out a shaky sigh, and just let his head fall into Riku's lap.

Repliku winced at the shout, positive that if anyone was even remotely close they heard that. He really hoped Isa was still half a castle away... He used the hand that had previously been on Vanitas' cheek to gently rub his back, trying to calm the other boy down. Repliku then began blathering on about unimportant things to try and give Vanitas something to focus on that wasn't how much pain he was in, and hopefully keep him awake. "Yeah, my eyes change colors, just like the real thing's. Far as I can tell it's some weird light refraction thing or something, I dunno, I kind of make a point of avoiding scientists to ask," he explained as an answer to Vanitas' earlier comment. It bothered him a little, but only because of his similarity to Riku. Otherwise it would honestly be kinda cool...

Vanitas nodded, his wits were starting to come back to him now that the pain was subsiding, but he still was pretty sure he only caught half of that. "...You're better than him," he mumbled, for some reason picking out the comparison to the real Riku out of all of that.

Repliku froze and blinked down at Vanitas. The words made his heart swell in a way he'd never felt before; Sora had insisted something similar, but it hadn't been that he was  _ better _ than Riku, and it was easy to dismiss because seeing the light in people and being hopelessly optimistic was just  _ Sora _ . But, those words from Vanitas, especially when he was delirious from pain and blood loss, were a lot harder to take as placating lies…

Xehanort's work was done for now, the rest would take some time, but he would still be healed much faster than he would naturally. He might even be able to walk tomorrow, if they kept the potions coming. "I'll go fetch Xemnas," he announced, after all they had to do something about the loose berserker in the castle before he reached them... He stood and- Oh, he... he got up too fas...

And then Xehanort fell right over where he stood. He regained consciousness quickly though, blinking in confusion when he found himself suddenly horizontal and slowly sitting up. "...What?"

The crash distracted Repliku from his thoughts. He whipped his head to look over to Xehanort, who was laying prone on the ground. "Xehanort?!" he called out, wanting to run over to check on him but not wanting to leave Vanitas' side either. What had happened  _ this _ time? He hadn't somehow taken damage from Isa too, had he...?

Xehanort looked behind him, then quickly realized what happened. "I'm fine," he insisted, standing much slower this time. He stood still for a good moment to be sure he had recovered fully. "...It appears I have overused my powers over time... I believe I left time stopped for far too long when we were fleeing," he explained. He didn't want to cause undue worry, he  _ should _ be fine now. Vanitas was the one who needed looking after, not him. "Take care of Vanitas, I'll go fetch Xemnas..." he repeated, then made to leave before the Replica could stop him. Really, he was fine.

Vanitas, meanwhile, barely registered what had just happened. His line of sight was constrained to black leather and zippers. What he did register was Xehanort was leaving, and apparently in some form of danger so he just said, "Try not to get killed, Xeha..." Names longer than two syllables were beyond him at the moment.

Xehanort paused by the door, then looked over his shoulder. He was actually smiling for a change. He hadn't been called  _ that _ since he left home, either. Something else Vanitas and Jecht seemed to have in common. "Alright."

Repliku watched Xehanort go with worry, knowing there was nothing he could do to really stop him. If there was any trait all the various Xehanorts shared, it was that they were innately stubborn. So instead he returned his focus to Vanitas, returning to rubbing his back and talking to him to make sure the guy was still conscious. "How are you feeling? Any better?" he asked, figuring gauging that was a decent place to restart their conversation. Repliku  _ really _ hoped Vanitas was in fact feeling better, because if his health took a turn for the worse he wasn't sure he knew enough medicine to fix it with Xehanort absent...

"Fan-fucking-tastic," Vanitas said sarcastically. He still basically hurt all over, and his leg was still  _ burning _ but... "...It's less bad now, I guess..." he admitted. Still, it hadn't dropped to a comfortable level yet, it'd probably be a while before that happened... He wasn't used to being fucking crippled, he didn't like it, this whole mess was just...  _ irritating. _

Aaaaand there went a Flood. Perfect. That's what he needed right now. Then again it was probably a miracle he hadn't flooded the castle while Xehanort was patching him up... Probably adrenaline or something. He buried his face in Riku's lap. "Kill it," he requested, unable to do so himself at the moment.

"You sure?" Repliku asked with a raised eyebrow, but he didn't really see a reason  _ not _ to. The whole Unversed thing still confused him in regards to what the link between the two of them was. You'd think by now in a castle full of people who liked hearing themselves talk he would've gotten a straight answer... Repliku gently maneuvered Vanitas so he could lay back on the bed before standing and drawing his sword. "I'm surprised you didn't use these guys to hold off Isa," he commented as he casually shanked the Flood right through the head.

Vanitas hissed; that had definitely hurt a lot more than it normally did. He was probably oversensitive. Oh well, too late now... He looked to the Replica and shrugged. "Thought I could handle it myself and then it was too late." It wasn't that he thought using the Unversed in a one on one fight like that was  _ unfair _ , it was that he wanted to prove he could do it by himself. In the end, it was just more of him being stupid, really. Also... He didn't want to admit it, but he missed his pillow. Riku needed to come sit back down.

The hiss of pain caught Repliku's attention more than Vanitas' explanation for his earlier behavior. "Did that hurt you?" he asked, dismissing his sword and coming to sit on the bed again, though this time a little higher up on the mattress. He didn't particularly feel like sitting in a pool of the other boy's blood, after all; he was covered in it enough as it was. Hopefully Xehanort would make it back soon, he was still worried about the guy getting caught by Isa, and then he'd be covered in  _ that _ guy's blood too. Continuing with his original train of thought, and not having nearly as high preservation instincts as he probably should regarding the matter, Repliku also asked, "Can you feel it when Ventus gets hurt?"

Vanitas looked up confused, having assumed Riku knew his relationship with the Unversed. Of course, before he could answer he asked an even worse question... He frowned and looked away. "No," was the only explanation he gave to  _ that _ , surprised he had given any at all. He didn't much like talking about Ventus with other people... After a moment he looked back, addressing the first question and pretending Ventus had never been brought up. "Unversed are a part of me. When they're destroyed they flow back into me and I can feel everything they felt, including the pain of death." When he put it like that he wondered how a little hole in his leg had done so much to him. "I thought you knew that?" he added, trying and failing to sort of roll onto his side. Moving too much was still a bad idea, apparently...

"Have  _ you _ tried getting a straight answer from anyone in this organization?" Repliku answered with a raised eyebrow, perfectly content to let the Ventus issue drop. "I knew the gist of it, just not the details. Though I've gotta say now I'm curious..." he continued, moving unprompted to help Vanitas sit up. It was pretty clear the guy still couldn't really move on his own. Repliku wondered if any of his bones were still broken... He moved to sit mostly behind Vanitas so he could reach for another one of the potions Xehanort had left on the nightstand and then handed it to the boy now effectively in his lap. "Here, drink this, should help you feel better."

Vanitas leaned against Riku without any complaints, he was definitely more comfortable this way. He took the potion and chugged it, and he did feel better, although it wasn't much. "Curious about what?" he asked when the Replica didn't finish the thought. He assumed it was more to do with the Unversed, and that wasn't something he particularly minded talking about... It was better than thinking about his leg.

Repliku hummed, trying to think about a way to explain what he meant without inadvertently asking for a keyblade through his throat. "Well, you know, if you feel  _ all _ of the things the Unversed felt. Like, if one of them ate a lot would you feel full? Or if someone like, got ahold of one and tickled it, would you feel that too?" He knew he was technically walking on dangerous territory and the latter question would probably be met with something like 'why would anyone even  _ try _ to tickle an Unversed', but he was curious! Yeah, the things were unerringly hostile (he didn't know about Prize Pods), but he had to admit a lot of them were pretty, well, cute...

Vanitas just looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "Unversed don't eat," he said like this was obvious information. "And why would you  _ tickle _ one?" Still, despite the bad examples he understood what the boy meant. "...I feel things like... curiosity, sometimes, though..." he said, and for some reason felt embarrassed. He'd never really talked to anyone about this before... Maybe he didn't like talking about the Unversed after all... He found it hard to meet Riku's eye, he hadn't really had anyone... show interest in this before? The old man had, of course, but it stopped at scientific understanding and optimized weaponization. This was... different somehow. It was weird...

Repliku almost looked disheartened at the first responses, but perked up again at the mention of feeling curiosity. That was interesting... He wondered what they got curious about. "I see..." the Replica said, sounding genuinely intrigued. How could he not be? Honestly, he felt a little bad about killing the Flood before now. Of course, Vanitas  _ liked _ pain, so he wouldn't put it past the guy to spawn them on purpose just so he could off 'em for kicks. That made him feel a little better. Repliku tried to remember what else he'd been told about the Unversed so he could ask actually intelligent questions. This seemed like a rare and unique opportunity to understand the other boy better, and for some reason he really really wanted that... "Unversed are formed from... your emotions, right? Is there one for every emotion or just some of them?" Okay, so maybe that was a little prying, but he couldn't help it. At least if Vanitas got mad at him he wouldn't be focusing on his leg, right...?

Vanitas eyed him suspiciously. "...Why do you care?" He was torn between wanting to be flattered by the attention and everything he learned in life telling him not to trust this for even a second. Too many questions, the Replica must want  _ something _ from him, right? And he was all too aware that he was currently completely at the boy's mercy... The perverted half of him was actually kind of excited by that, but it was largely ignored in favor of being wary. He wasn't angry - yet - per se, he was just... cautious. On guard. And no, he definitely wasn't  _ scared. _

Repliku blinked down at him in honest surprise at the question, having somehow both expected and not expected that response. He didn't think on it too long before shrugging casually and admitting, "I'm just curious. Honestly, I think the Unversed are kinda cool. Nobody else can do anything like that." He meant it, the uniqueness really did intrigue him. Vanitas looked like Sora, but he was just so  _ un- _ Sora that it was fascinating. Repliku was nothing more than a copy, even down to his abilities. Vanitas wasn't even anything like Ven, and they had come from the same heart. He'd kill to have something unique of his own...

Vanitas was certainly confused by the answer and- was he  _ blushing _ ?? Oh hell no. This was fucking stupid. He pressed his face into the Replica's chest and hoped he didn't notice. "Whatever," he said dismissively, but then found himself continuing, answering the question he had earlier brushed off. "Emotions are weird. They aren't as clean cut as you think, they bleed into each other, otherwise there would probably be a lot more Unversed..." he explained, fiddling with the chain of the Replica's coat. He refused to look at him...

"Huh..." Repliku responded, still sounding intrigued. That was interesting... Truth be told, the conversation was interesting enough that he'd forgotten he was supposed to be waiting for Xehanort to come back and give them the all-clear on the Isa front. No matter, there were more important things to be focusing on right now. Repliku shifted a little and brought one arm up to wrap around Vanitas' chest, primarily to get more comfortable and work out a cramp that had started to form. If he  _ did _ catch Vanitas blushing, Repliku had the good sense to pretend he hadn't. Keyblades and his throat were not friends. Still, he wanted to say  _ something _ , or Vanitas was going to start focusing on the pain in his leg again, but he couldn't think of any more questions to ask him that wouldn't be way too personal...

Vanitas found himself easily relaxing into the Replica's arms... It was... nice, he regretfully admitted. But it was still embarrassing, he was glaring at the floor because of it. Still, he really didn't have a choice right now... but the longer this went on the more the humiliation set in... He could ask to be set down- he could set  _ himself _ down, but he kinda... didn't want to. So he didn't. God this was stupid... and  _ frustrating _ and-

And then another Flood escaped from him. But it was... pink? What the fuck? Floods came in blue and purple. This was ridiculous. He glared at it. He wanted it dead. But he also didn't want Riku to get up again. He settled for a compromise. " _ Shoo, _ " he hissed, waving his hand at it. It, however, ignored him entirely and clamored up to the bed, nuzzling affectionately against Riku's foot. Suddenly, Vanitas wished Isa had just killed him.

Repliku paused and stared at the new Flood that had spilled out of Vanitas and was now nuzzling against his shoe. "Uh..." was his first reaction. That seemed... off. "Is that a  _ normal _ color for those...?" he risked asking, raising an eyebrow at the pink creature. He knew some of the Unversed came in slightly different colors... Maybe it had to do with what emotions mixed together to form them? That would make sense, sorta... It definitely wasn't  _ acting _ like a normal Flood... Like, seriously, what? Repliku turned to Vanitas, looking for an answer as to how he was supposed to handle... this. For now he'd just... not... do anything. Definitely not kill it. Honestly he kinda hoped Vanitas didn't kill it either, because he was still curious and now there was an opportunity...

" _Of fucking course not,_ " Vanitas snapped. He summoned Void Gear and tried to stab at the thing since it was close enough now, but it slinked under the bed behind Riku's legs and out of reach. " _Die!_ " he yelled regardless, trying and failing to angle his keyblade under the bed. This was, unfortunately, a terrible idea, as it involved leaning forward, and that ended with him falling off the bed entirely. "FuCKING HELL!" he cursed at the impact, the pain shooting through him freshly.

"Vanitas!" Repliku called out, immediately getting off the bed and kneeling next to his fallen comrade. That had ended about as poorly as physically possible. The Replica reached out and gingerly tried to help Vanitas sit up straight, ignoring the strange pink Flood for now. He could try to coax it out from under the bed once Vanitas wasn't doubled over on the floor anymore. Once he could he'd try to get a good look at Vanitas' stitches; if any of them had snapped or torn, that was gonna be bad news...

Vanitas let the Replica help him up, leaning heavily onto him. He glanced down at his leg as well. The stitches had held, at least, though it certainly  _ felt _ like they'd all been ripped out. The shock had put him back at square one with his recovery. He groaned. "I hate everything..." He really, really did. Being this weak was fucking awful...

Meanwhile the Flood poked its head out from under the bed then darted up Riku and onto his shoulder, nuzzling his cheek affectionately as he had before. Vanitas was still too deep in the aftershock, he didn't even notice it.

Repliku blinked at the creature nuzzling his cheek before tentatively raising a hand to try and pet it on the head. It was... really adorable, honestly, but he would never be able to say that to Vanitas. Right, Vanitas. Pretending he wasn't petting a literal manifestation of the other boy's emotions, Repliku commented, "Well, at least it looks like your stitches held... We can get Xehanort to look at them again when he comes back, just in case. Do you want me to help you back onto the bed or would you rather stay on the floor?" It was a legitimate question. The bed was probably more comfortable in the long run, but it would hurt getting back up there and Vanitas risked falling off it again if he started trying to murder the Unversed again...

Vanitas mulled that over; well it wasn't like he didn't sleep on floors all the time but... "Bed," he finally decided, he looked up at Riku and- And then he saw it, that little son of a bitch. " _ Kill it, _ " he insisted, weakly swatting at the thing, but it just darted on top of Riku's head and settled in there. He glared. Whatever emotion that was supposed to be, he didn't like it.

Repliku hummed as he pretended to debate Vanitas' order. "No," he said simply, wearing a somewhat smug grin as he wrapped one arm around Vanitas' midsection and one arm around his mostly-uninjured leg and lifted him almost bridal style so he could put him on the bed. He placed Vanitas down carefully, trying to avoid agitating his leg. The guy had said himself he had limits to the amount of pain he liked, after all. "Try not to fall off the bed this time, or you really might rip out your stitches."

Vanitas stared up at the other boy incredulously. "What do you mean  _ no!? _ " he managed to get out before being set on the bed and hissing in pain again. He was too distracted by the Flood to be embarrassed about how he was being carried, at least. He glared once he'd resettled on the mattress. "I said  _ kill it! _ " He wanted to slap the smug grin off the Replica's face, but he knew he couldn't...

The Flood, meanwhile, slid down the side of Riku's head, hanging off him and pressing the tip of its… beak? Snout? Into Riku's cheek, like it was trying to kiss him. Vanitas blushed and glared harder.

Repliku's answer was momentarily stalled by the feeling of the Flood pressing into his cheek. That was... Huh. Well then. Turning his attention back to Vanitas, he explained, "Xehanort told me to take care of you, and you said yourself you can feel the pain of these things dying. Can you really take that much more?" Repliku's raised eyebrow and smug smirk conveyed that while that was technically the truth, he also didn't  _ want _ to kill the Flood. The Replica wasn't above using underhanded tactics to get what he wanted sometimes. Benefit of rolling around in darkness. To potentially placate the other boy, Repliku added as an afterthought, "You can try to kill it once you're feeling better."

Vanitas groaned loudly and continued to glare, but eventually turned his gaze up to the ceiling. "... _ Fine! _ " he spat. Then after a moment he added, looking at the Replica out of the corner of his eye, "...If you name it, I'm killing  _ both of you _ ." This was mortifying.

The Flood was busy still peppering Riku's cheeks with tiny kisses. It paused when the boy spoke, retreating back on top of his head for the moment. Once it saw a break in the conversation, it slinked down right in front of Riku's face and kissed him on the lips. Vanitas rolled his eyes. Of course it was doing this. Of fucking course.

The Replica was about to promise he wouldn't name it when suddenly his face was full of Flood. He stared cross-eyed at it as it kissed him on the lips, and in the next moment Repliku reached up and took ahold of it, pulling it just far away enough from his face that it wouldn't be able to do that anymore but not so far away that it was in range of Vanitas stealing and murdering. He raised an eyebrow at the creature, having pretty much figured out by now what emotions had formed it, but even that left him somewhat confused. "No names, got it," he finally said moments later than he should've, keeping his attention trained on the pink Unversed. It sure was, er,  _ friendly _ ...

The tiny Flood waved its arms frantically, as though trying to reach back to get close to Riku again. Vanitas was still glaring, if looks could kill it'd be dead by now, that was for sure. Besides the fact the dumb thing existed  _ at all _ , the Replica was now paying more attention to  _ it  _ than  _ him,  _ and that was unacceptable. He grabbed the wrist that wasn't holding the creature and tugged, trying to get the boy to sit down with him again. "Just ignore it," he said.

Repliku looked back to Vanitas and shrugged, moving to sit back on the bed and holding the Unversed to his side opposite Vanitas. He sat a little closer than he would normally, but he had a pretty good feeling Vanitas wouldn't exactly mind. The Replica stroked the top of the Flood's head with his thumb as the rest of his attention strayed to Vanitas himself. Well, sort of, he did have an important issue he had to bring up. "Xehanort's taken a while getting back to us, you think he found Xemnas? Kinda hoping he didn't pass out again somewhere," he said, mostly serious. A  _ tiny _ part of him just wanted to make Vanitas a little more jealous. He wouldn't lie, it was kind of nice, someone wanting his attention like this...

And Vanitas  _ was _ jealous, but he would never admit it. "Whatever, I'm sure he's fine." Well, he should probably be a little more grateful, since Xehanort was the reason he was, you know, alive and stuff. "...If someone  _ did _ kill him wouldn't it like, create a huge paradox?" he half-asked half-pointed out. After all if he died none of the other 'norts would come into being, he'd never be separated from Ventus, Riku probably would have never been created... He didn't want to think about it. Meanwhile, the Flood was happily cuddling against Riku. It nuzzled against the boy's thumb, and occasionally tried to make it back up to his face, but was mostly content. Vanitas was still holding the Replica's wrist.

Repliku was content to let the Unversed nuzzle him, though he kept it effectively pinned to his side. He did, however, move to hold Vanitas' hand rather than continue to have his wrist be held. The Replica hummed as he considered Vanitas' words. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm sure he's fine," he said, smiling at the other boy and leaving it at that. His smile turned into more of a smirk as he continued, "I guess we've got his room all to ourselves until he gets back, then."

Vanitas was... not sure how to feel about the hand holding. He hadn't really noticed it earlier but now... He didn't want to let go, but he was also embarrassed, how annoying. And then the Replica spoke and... Wait, was he implying what he  _ thought _ he was implying? He stared at the smirk on the other boy's face... Well it certainly  _ looked _ like he was. He grinned devilishly. "Wanna make out on his bed?" he asked, as though the point was pissing off Xehanort, not wanting to kiss the Replica. It was easier for him to accept that way.

Repliku's smirk morphed into a full-on grin. "Couldn't have put it better myself," he said, and then he... paused. He knew why he paused, and he  _ hated _ it. It was because the real thing was incapable of making the first move and just kissing  _ Sora _ like that. Well, he wasn't Riku! With no additional hesitation, Repliku leaned forward and claimed Vanitas' lips with his own. To be honest part of him had wanted to do that since Vanitas had kissed him earlier in the day, and he definitely wasn't gonna complain about getting to do it now. Probably to Vanitas' pleasure, his focus was much more on the actual boy than the Unversed at his side now.

Vanitas' arms were up and wrapping around the Replica in seconds, one hand fisting into that pretty silver hair and the other trailing down his back. He moaned softly in appreciation of the force Riku had put behind the kiss, but of course for him it wasn't nearly enough. He licked the boy's lips and tried to push his tongue into his mouth- he had said  _ make out _ after all. After everything that had happened with Ventus he had been left feeling...  _ needy _ , and now that they were like this the constant dull throb of pain was frankly turning him on. He hadn't realized how desperate for this he was until now, though he wasn't sure he would have cared who it was to give him the attention... Riku was just a convenient outlet, that stupid pink Flood be  _ damned.  _ Speaking of, the Flood was nuzzling against Riku's side to try and get some attention back, but it was still effectively trapped there.

Repliku let out a soft moan of his own, bringing one of his hands - the one that had previously been holding Vanitas', since the other was still preoccupied with petting the little Flood - up to the back of Vanitas' head. Every time he felt hesitation he forcefully pushed past it, willingly opening his mouth for Vanitas to do as he pleased. After a while he started pushing back, fighting for dominance in the kiss, not bothering to worry about whether or not their activities would wind up hurting the injured boy. The guy would probably like that, anyway. At the thought, Repliku fisted his hand in Vanitas' hair, pulling on it lightly. He'd've pulled harder but he didn't want to risk breaking the kiss. Any thoughts of Xehanort actually walking in on them were- Well, even if they weren't forgotten, he really wouldn't have cared anyway.

Vanitas moaned much louder when his hair was pulled. He had eagerly invaded the other boy's mouth, but at the added pain he went still for a moment. God it hurt  _ so good.  _ He kissed Riku more roughly, teeth catching on lips, urging the boy to do the same. The hand trailing down the Replica's back slid around and grabbed at his zipper, pulling it down without hesitation. He let his gloves fade away in wisps of darkness so he could feel the boy's skin under his own. He really had no concept of boundaries, especially not right now. Besides, if the Replica had a problem with it it wasn't like he was really in a position to force him into anything anyway; he could just walk away and leave him there. In a way... it was effectively bondage. The thought made him giddy. And horny. Not that he wasn't already.

Every subtle urging of Vanitas Repliku followed faithfully, kissing Vanitas rougher and tugging on his hair again. This really felt amazing, more than he'd expected it to... It was a little weird having an arm trapped at his side trying to keep the Unversed occupied, but it wasn't too bad, honestly. Vanitas was technically short a limb of his own. Repliku's heart panged in an emotion resembling fear when Vanitas' hand moved to his zipper, but he ignored it, refusing to back off. Backing off was something the  _ real _ thing did, and he wasn't afraid. After all, he too realized Vanitas really couldn't do much if Repliku decided he'd had enough and backed off, so if he got legitimately uncomfortable there would be no problem. He shifted slightly on the bed to face Vanitas better. He'd have to be sure not to make fun of any of the members that slept together anymore, if it felt like  _ this _ ...

Vanitas hummed into the kiss, glad the Replica seemed able to keep up. His hand brushed across the boy's chest, trailing lightly over the skin. He wasted no time, fingers pinching one of his nipples and then letting his thumb run over it smoothly. At the same time he yanked back on the Replica's hair and broke the kiss, only to move it down along his jaw and onto his neck. He bit and sucked, probably harder than comfortable for someone who wasn't him, leaving a trail of red splotches on the creamy skin. Oh yes, he was enjoying himself far too much. It might have been his first time doing something like this, but between all the porn he'd watched and pure instinct he was able to figure things out easily enough. Riku didn't seem to be complaining, not yet, at least. As an afterthought he let his own shirt spindle and fade away- it was only fair after all. And he would be lying if he said he didn't want the other boy to do what he was doing to  _ him.  _ He left his pants intact though- not because he wasn't expecting sex, he was arrogant and stupid and had resolutely decided he was going to tap that, but these things had to be done in  _ steps _ or it wasn't as fun.

"Ah-!" Repliku let out a loud cut-off moan as his mouth was freed and attention was paid to his neck. The tiny Unversed was forgotten as the Replica's hand flew to wrap around Vanitas, clawing into his back rather than attack his chest. Repliku arched into the other boy's touch, yanking harder on his hair now that they didn't have to worry about things like breaking kisses. What Vanitas was doing felt  _ amazing _ , even if it was a little on the painful side. It wasn't unbearable, though, so he allowed it to continue. The Replica tilted his head to let Vanitas do as he pleased to his neck, squirming slightly to try and get his coat to slip off his shoulders. Repliku continued moaning as he clawed down Vanitas' back again, relishing in the rare opportunity to feel the other boy's skin. Oh yeah, this was  _ so _ worth every moment... The real thing was missing out.

Vanitas moaned into his neck at the feeling of his hair and back. He arched into the touch, resenting the gloves that prevented nails from tearing at his skin, adding to the litter of scars. He paid a bit more attention to the Replica's neck, but soon moved on, kissing lower down his chest until he could replace his hand with his mouth, sucking hard on the small nub and tracing his tongue around it. He wanted to hear that pretty voice moan again- moaning his name this time, preferably. He pulled at his coat some when he noticed Riku trying to remove it, but getting it off  _ completely  _ would mean breaking away, and that wasn't going to happen. It wasn't that much in the way, so it was fine... His hand then roamed freely, over the Replica's belly button and up his spine, feather light touches becoming biting scratches without warning.

More moans spilled from Repliku's lips as Vanitas' attention moved lower.  _ Oh _ it felt good... "Ah...  _ Van- _ " Repliku cried out, breath hitching in his throat as Vanitas' mouth made it down to his nipple. His body was beginning to feel hot, and he was really glad the thick leather coat was off at least his shoulders. He clung desperately to Vanitas, again arching into the touch. Thoughts of things like Riku and Xehanort fled him entirely, replaced with a desperation for their activities to continue and further. Repliku whimpered when the light touches turned painful, a bit  _ too _ painful for his liking, but... But if he asked Vanitas to stop, he might  _ stop _ ...

Vanitas smirked triumphantly, he hadn't quite managed his full name, but in a way that was even  _ better _ . He pulled away to kiss the Replica on the lips again, rough and fevered and desperate. He grabbed Riku's ass, squeezing hard before letting his hand trail around to his front, ghosting ever so lightly over his crotch. He broke the kiss and pulled on the Replica's hair so he was looking him right in the eye. He smirked hungrily, eyes clouded with lust and want and the gleam of a predator that had cornered its prey. "I'm gonna make you cum crying my name," he declared. He slipped the tips of his fingers past the waistband of Riku's pants and-

  
"I swear in the name of  _ Kingdom Hearts _ if you two had  _ sex _ on  _ my bed _ I will  _ castrate the both of you. _ " Xehanort  _ rarely _ rose his voice, but apparently when he did, it was because his idiot friends were...  _ copulating _ in his room. He should have known better than to leave the two of them alone after what had happened outside...


	13. Vanitas Breaks Mad Science Rules One and Two: Don't Fuck the Replica (and Names Him Too)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apparently, sex is hard when your lover technically doesn't have a name...
> 
> p.s. smut warning if you couldn't tell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, We (or well, Vanitas) named Repliku 'Rei' in this chapter. For whatever reason we see this a lot in other fics and places, and sort of ran with it as his designated fanon name. I don't know if whoever started it intended the shitty Neon Genesis Evangelion joke, but we did 8| Vanitas explains the rest of the reasoning for the name in the chapter.

Vanitas looked up at the interruption, having precisely zero shame at being caught in the act. He grinned, and before he could help it he was laughing, in full on hysterics falling back to the bed and away from his Replica.

Repliku moaned and whimpered as a result of Vanitas' actions. When the other boy's hand ghosted over his crotch Repliku arched up into it, mindlessly chasing  _ more _ . When Vanitas yanked him back by his hair Repliku saw stars from the pain, but he faithfully looked him in the eyes, shivering at the look in them. Vanitas' words made him shiver  _ more _ and then-

And then Xehanort walked in the room. A cold wash of panic ran down his spine and instinctively Repliku shrugged his coat back on. And then Vanitas was laughing... Why was he not surprised. It seemed Vanitas' laughter was contagious, because as soon as the wave of panic was gone Repliku was grinning again. "Hey Xehanort, you're just in time," he offered in way of greeting. Someone who swore to Kingdom Hearts like that wasn't terribly intimidating (unless it was Isa, Isa was always intimidating). Pushing his luck further, Repliku continued, "You took so long we got bored and decided to start without you."

Xehanort turned bright red, even over his dark skin. He opened and closed his mouth several times, for once words escaping him. "... _ Absolutely not! _ " he finally managed. He glared at the Replica. "I am  _ not _ participating in your debauchery. I don't care what the two of you get up to, but it can't happen  _ here, _ " he scolded. Really, he would expect something like this from Vanitas. But Riku? He thought he had  _ some _ decency, apparently he'd been wrong. He narrowed his eyes at the boy in question. "I'm disappointed in you," he said like an angry parent.

Which was noticed by Vanitas. "Okay,  _ mom, _ " he managed between laughs. He had managed to calm down, but then Riku had made Xehanort's life even  _ worse  _ and he lost it again. He was so proud of him; he thought he was going to be embarrassed when they were caught but this was  _ so _ much better. Eventually he calmed enough to speak again. With a wink and a grin he held his hand towards the dark-skinned boy. "You  _ sure _ you don't want to join us?" He brought his other arm up to hang off Riku suggestively.

Xehanort glared. "Put your shirt back on," was his only response.

Oh, Repliku was embarrassed all right, but he was gonna own this. He forced down his anxiety and widened his grin, leaning into Vanitas as the other boy wrapped his arm around him. Repliku shrugged and said, "Hey, if you wanna miss out on the fun that's on you." And oh, had that been  _ fun _ . If Vanitas didn't track him down later to continue where they'd left off, Repliku was  _ definitely _ gonna do that. He'd had a taste and now he wanted more. "If you could check out Vanitas' stitches before you murder him, though, we'd appreciate that. Idiot fell off the bed," he added, deciding to relent at least a little on the poor guy. They  _ had _ kinda almost done the nasty on his blood-soaked bed, after all. He almost felt sorry. Almost.

"Oh yeah..." Vanitas said, having completely forgotten that had happened. And speaking of things he'd forgotten. A certain Flood was scurrying out from under the bed and up Riku's back, sitting on his shoulder and kissing his cheek. Vanitas glared at the thing, jealous despite the fact he had been moments away from actually, you know, fucking the Replica.

Xehanort was going to admonish them (he assumed Vanitas had further injured himself because of their... activities) when the small Flood made its appearance known. He raised an eyebrow curiously at the creature. "..That came from you?" It was so...  _ affectionate _ and...  _ pink _ . He made his way over and started checking the stitching while he waited for his answer, being a bit overly rough with the leg out of spite.

Vanitas grimaced and hissed. "... _ Unfortunately _ ," he reluctantly admitted. If he didn't say something Riku would...

Repliku grinned, watching Xehanort check on Vanitas' leg. "I'm holding it hostage," he insisted proudly. It was  _ almost _ true, was probably fully true by this point. If Vanitas did wind up killing the thing, it'd certainly be interesting to see what kind of effect it had on him... Though, he really did hope the Unversed stuck around for a while longer. It might be nice having a companion like that... Bringing his attention back to what was probably actually important right now, Repliku asked, "So, what's the verdict, doc? Will he live?"

Xehanort suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "He is still in bad shape, but he is not in worse shape," he said. He turned his gaze to Vanitas. "You're lucky." It was said as more of a warning than anything.

Vanitas shrugged. He always did stupid things and wound up okay somehow, so this was old news to him. "So now what?" he asked, not knowing if he needed further treatment- well ok, he obviously needed it, but he didn't know if he was going to  _ get _ it.

Xehanort looked contemplative, thinking if there was really anything else they could do. "You need bed rest, you'll have to stay off that leg for at least 24 hours, and that's if you keep taking potions regularly. Although, don't take them too fast. It will make you ill and their effect will be dampened."

Vanitas nodded. Well that sounded simple enough. He turned to the Replica and grinned. "Hey Riku, wanna take me to my room and give me some 'bed rest'?" He licked his lips.

Xehanort scoffed. "If you rip your stitches having sex I'm not fixing them," he said resolutely.

Repliku grinned back, offering the Flood a pat as he said, "Sounds like a plan to me." Knowing Vanitas was incapable of walking and honestly being pretty sure he had permission, Repliku moved the tiny Unversed to sit in his hood before slipping an arm under Vanitas' legs and one around his back before lifting him off the bed. He opened a Dark Corridor to the hallway he knew Vanitas' room was in, but before going through it decided to take one last shot at Xehanort for the heck of it. Raising a suggestive eyebrow, the Replica asked, "Are you  _ sure _ you don't wanna come have some fun?"

Xehanort glared, he was already pulling away the bloody sheets to change them. "Kindly get  _ the fuck out of my room. _ " He was beginning to regret having saved Vanitas, even though it had mostly been Riku taunting him at the moment. He was just in a foul mood in general. He was going to be the awkward third wheel now. He'd have to find ways to entertain himself while they ran off to copulate. Which would probably be often; he didn't really want to think what Vanitas' libido was like. And then inevitably they would run into problems when one of them realized it was more than just sex and they would both be crying to him for help and he'd be stuck in the middle and it would be an  _ absolute mess. _ And he was looking forward to  _ none of it _ .

Vanitas hung his arms around his Replica's neck, unbothered by being carried since he quite obviously couldn't walk and also was about to get laid. He grinned. "Your loss, Xeha, have fun not getting laid," he said. Then to add insult to injury he kissed Riku on the cheek. "Tally ho, my noble steed," he instructed.

"As you wish," Repliku answered both Xehanort and Vanitas, stepping through the Corridor of Darkness without another word. They reappeared in the hallway Vanitas' room was in, Repliku doing his best to avoid looking away guiltily. "Which room was yours again?" he asked. There were so many rooms in this gosh darn place, and he was rarely invited into anyone's personal quarters anyway.

Vanitas took no personal offense, even he thought too much of the castle looked the same, he was honestly impressed he had gotten this close. He pointed down the hall. "Two doors down, on the left." Said door was notably more... weathered, than the others around it.

Repliku nodded and dutifully headed for the door, using his foot to open it because his arms were full of his soon-to-be lover. He didn't know what he expected Vanitas' room to look like, but it was not the room he was presented with. It looked like a bomb had gone off or something. If he didn't know better, and he  _ did _ know better, he would've thought this used to be Axel's room... "Looks like you've had fun in here..." Repliku mused, though it didn't sound terribly judgmental, just mildly intrigued. He closed the door behind them and made a beeline for the bed, laying Vanitas on the bed before climbing on himself and hovering over him. With a knowing grin he asked rhetorically, "Now, where were we...?"

Vanitas grinned back. He trailed his hand down the Replica's cheek. "Hmm... I think we were..." He trailed his hand lower, along the chest still bared to him by the still open coat. "...right about..." His hand moved lower still. " _...here, _ " he finally said, roughly grabbing the boy through his pants and rubbing him. They were going to start  _ right _ where they left off. He did not have the patience to build back up again, and honestly, he was already hard.

" _ Ah _ ..." Repliku moaned immediately, one of his arms buckling and bringing him to one elbow.  _ Right _ where they left off, okay then. "Right..." he responded, his smirk reforming as he leant a little lower and placed a teasingly chaste kiss to Vanitas' chest. His coat was going to get in the way sooner rather than later, so he shrugged it off, slipping one arm out before the other and being careful that he didn't send the Unversed in his hood tumbling out. He slid the coat off the rest of the way and discarded it on the floor, his attention never straying from Vanitas' chest. Repliku made his way down to the other boy's nipple and returned the favor from before, licking and sucking and biting at it as he bucked lightly into Vanitas' hand. The heat was quickly returning, and he was very obviously getting hard.

Vanitas moaned at the attention to his nipple, his free hand fisting in the Replica's hair and pushing his face down harder into his chest to urge him on. He palmed him for a bit longer, but once he felt him getting hard he moved to free him from his pants. It was actually a bit of a struggle with one hand considering Vanitas' clothes just... came and went at will, he had never had to undo a pants snap before. But he did manage eventually, yanking down Riku's pants and underwear so he could get a proper look at his erection and- ...oh. Vanitas blushed. He was...  _ much _ bigger than him. He didn't know how to feel about that... After a moment of internal debate he tried to settle on 'all the better to fuck him with' and not let his injured pride get to him too much... He wrapped his hand around it and gave a slow, testing stroke.

Repliku dutifully followed the unworded instructions, biting and sucking harder at Vanitas' chest. He let Vanitas' hand in his hair keep him steady as he reached both arms behind himself, removing his gloves and tossing them aside somewhere. He wanted to be able to  _ feel _ this, and he figured Vanitas would appreciate having nails added to the mix at some point. While one arm returned to bracing him, the other's hand moved to Vanitas' other nipple and pinched and twisted at it mercilessly. Repliku had no doubt that Vanitas both wanted the pain and would let him know the moment if/when it got too intense for him to handle. If not, well, wasn't his fault. The Replica moaned loudly and bucked into Vanitas' hand as it wrapped around his erection. Oh, it just felt so  _ good _ ... When he was done with Vanitas' chest he'd have to return the favor. In the meantime, he'd just make the most of his own squirming to try and kick off his shoes and pants. Maybe he should start wearing his own darkness suit again...

Vanitas moaned loudly as the pain mixed with the pleasure. He squirmed, he just wanted  _ more _ and- fuck. It was so good. Too good. His pants were starting to hurt almost unpleasantly; having your dick pressing up against a metal codpiece was not comfortable. The rest of his clothes faded off of him; Riku also seemed to be trying to rid himself of the rest of his clothes, so he didn't see there being much of a problem. And now he could- wow, he looked small next to him... Fuck, so much for his injured pride... Hopefully the Replica wouldn't notice... or at least not say anything... He removed his hand to push the Replica's hips down lower, rutting his dick into the other boy's and then grabbing both of them, stroking them together. He moaned again, even louder. " _ Fuck _ that's good."

Repliku broke away from Vanitas' chest with a loud moan as they were stroked together, mindlessly bucking his hips to increase the friction.  _ Oh _ but it felt  _ amazing _ , the sensation a mind-numbing pleasure. Thankfully for Vanitas Repliku didn't seem to care in the least about their size difference, only interested in chasing the pleasure he was presented with. He moved his mouth from Vanitas' chest up to his neck, kissing and sucking on the skin there between moans. "Ah... I have a darkness suit of my own... you know..." he murmured in the other's ear, nibbling on his earlobe. Honestly, he wasn't sure where he knew half of this stuff, he was just going on what felt right and what Vanitas had done earlier. The guy didn't seem to be complaining, though.

"Mmm..." Vanitas moaned again. That was right, he did have one didn't he? Had he been wearing it earlier today while they were out at some point? He couldn't really be bothered to remember that  _ now _ though. "I'll have to take it off you sometime," he said with a smirk. And then he let go of both of them in favor of rummaging through his nightstand drawer. "Top or bottom?" he asked. He honestly didn't care either way, Riku was going to have to do most of the work anyway with his leg still fucked up. It was a shame really, when he was better he'd have to be sure to fuck that pretty face into the mattress, but for now he'd just have to let himself get ravished, not that he was complaining. Now where the fuck was that lube...

Riku hummed, chewing on Vanitas' ear a little more. "Well, as obnoxious as it is,  _ ah _ , you have to go easy on your leg, so... Mm, I think I'll top this time," he decided. He wanted to add 'if that's all right with you', but for some reason he worried that would irritate Vanitas rather than make him feel better. Despite the missing hand Repliku did his best to keep rubbing them together, not really having an inclination to stop. He moved the attention of his mouth down slightly and bit into Vanitas' neck, not bothering to worry about how hard he was biting. The only thing the Replica was really watching out for was that bum leg, after all. Wouldn't wanna make the pain unbearable and this all not fun anymore.

" _ Fuck, _ " Vanitas breathed as Riku bit into his neck. It hurt  _ so good. _ He had finally gotten his hand on the lube only to drop it. Once he calmed down a margin - which was  _ very _ hard with Riku rutting against him like this - he pulled it out of the drawer and handed it to him. "Here." He assumed Riku would know what to do with it, if not he would be more than happy to show him. He also pointedly left the drawer open so the Replica might notice the toys inside... They were probably both too impatient to make use of them this time, but it was the thought that counts. He bent his good leg at the knee and used it to try and angle his hips up to give Riku better access. He needed him to get on with it, the anticipation was driving him crazy.

Probably to Vanitas' displeasure, Repliku pulled back from his neck so he could properly see what he was doing. He didn't really want to waste any more time, either, even if it would probably be fun to make Vanitas beg for it. Of course, he might just kill him out of frustration, so maybe it was better to just give him what he wanted. Without hesitation, he unscrewed the cap and covered his fingers in the lube before reaching down and inserting a finger inside him without warning. Repliku figured Vanitas didn't really need a warning, after all; he knew what was coming. He thrust it in and out a few times before adding a second, putting the bottle to the side and leaning back down to bite at Vanitas' neck again. Obviously he didn't know how long to properly prepare someone for, but honestly if Vanitas wasn't injured he probably would've just lubed himself up and gone for it. There would be other times for that, but for now he had to be at least a little careful. The whole time he was preparing Vanitas he kept rubbing the two of them together, making sure to keep up as much interest as possible.

"Aah..!!" Vanitas cried out as he was abruptly penetrated. It wasn't like he hadn't been expecting it, but still he... hadn't expected it. He let his eyes fall shut as he reveled in the feeling of Riku fingering him. His face was flush from the overwhelming pleasure tinged deliciously with the pain of a finger moving  _ just _ too fast and all the other sore parts of him. He lifted his good leg and slung it over the Replica's shoulder, lifting his hip and getting a better angle. Riku added a second finger and he started bucking his hips to meet the thrusting fingers, not to mention the friction between their cocks rubbing together... It was almost... too much. He was panting and moaning and  _ shit _ could he even hold up much longer like this? If they were doing this they were damn well going to do it right he was sure as  _ hell _ not cumming until that dick was in his ass. "Just-  _ aaaahhn-  _ put it  _ in _ alrea- nnNn!!-dy," he cried. He wasn't  _ begging _ he was  _ commanding.  _ " _ Fuck. _ " He squirmed, god it was  _ too much. _ He needed it  _ now.  _ " _ Riku! _ "

Repliku frowned and paused as he pulled his fingers out. That was... No, he shouldn't let it get to him. It wasn't like he had another name to be called by, wasn't like Vanitas was calling out for the  _ real _ thing... Whatever, he'd just take out his frustration by pounding into the boy beneath him. Vanitas would probably like that anyway. "Whatever you say," came the bitter-tinged reply as he once again took up the bottle of lube. He coated himself liberally before aligning himself and shoving it in all the way in one go, not bothering to go slowly or be gentle. One hand moved to hold Vanitas' leg to him and the other gripped the boy's hip, having somewhat vindictively decided to leave Vanitas untouched for the time being. He was sure he'd get over the name thing sooner rather than later, because holy  _ hell _ did it feel good... Repliku involuntarily let out a long moan at the feeling, delighting in the pleasure of being sheathed inside Vanitas. He'd wait until Vanitas begged him to move before actually doing so, still more bitter than he cared to admit, no matter how  _ amazing _ it felt.

"AAAHH!!" Vanitas half-moaned half-yelled as he was suddenly _ full _ with something  _ too big _ . It burned but in  _ just _ the right way. His hands were gripping desperately at the sheets, he had already torn them in one spot. He  _ writhed _ , his whole body was shaking slightly, and he was somehow even more out of breath than he was before. " _ Riku! _ " he repeated, far too beyond sense to notice the name could be upsetting the boy inside him. Slowly, he started to catch his breath... That wasn't right. He bucked his hips, urging the other to  _ move _ already, but it proved ineffective. He frowned, though it wasn't as intimidating as usual with his face flush and eyes glossy. "What are you  _ waiting for!? _ " he snapped. He was actually able to speak without moaning, that wasn't right. What the hell happened?

Repliku smiled bitterly, but figured that was probably as close to begging as Vanitas could get without actually questioning what was wrong. Needless to say he didn't want to talk about it right now... Without explaining, Repliku drew back almost the entire way out of him and then slammed back in, his frustration adding force to the thrust. The repeated callings of the real thing's name was kinda killing the mood for him, but it wasn't so bad if he just pretended he was having his way with Sora. Repliku tried to focus on the physical pleasures at hand and ignore whatever Vanitas said, since it would probably only upset him anyway. His thrusts slowly picked up speed, long and deep, aiming to cause so much pleasure Vanitas wouldn't have the air in his lungs left to speak at all. To that end he finally relented and removed the hand from Vanitas' hip, using it instead to stroke the dark boy underneath him. Repliku just wished it felt as good for him now as it had before.

Vanitas cried out, hips eagerly rising up to meet every thrust as best he could with his injury. " _ Fuck!  _ Yes!  _ Riku! _ " he shouted. God it felt  _ amazing. _ It was so much and yet still he wanted  _ more. _ And then he got it when Riku's hand found his dick. "Aaaa _ aaaaaaahhhHhh!! _ " He moaned loud and long. He was already so close and then, " _ THERE!! _ " he cried as the Replica struck his prostate. Fuck fuck  _ fuck.  _ It was  _ too much.  _ Too much  _ pleasure _ all tinted with just  _ enough _ pain. It was completely overwhelming him.  _ Heat _ was building up in him more than he could stand and, "I-" He strained to form words. "I'm gonna-" And before he could finish the warning he came  _ hard.  _ The orgasm wracked his body like none had before. " _ RiikKUUUUUU!!! _ " he cried, his vision went black for a moment and everything was pure bliss. His stomach was covered in his own cum and he was finding it hard to breathe but he just didn't  _ care. _

Well that backfired  _ spectacularly _ . Every call of the real thing's name added just a bit more of a bitter edge to Repliku's forced smile, and he wasn't surprised when Vanitas reached his limits first. It was all Repliku could do just to stay  _ excited _ . But he was still, at the prospect of vengeance. Vanitas may have finished already, but Repliku hadn't. The Replica kept up with the pace he set, continuing to thrust long and hard into Vanitas even through and after his orgasm. The hand that had been stroking Vanitas returned to his hip so he could slam even harder into the body beneath him. It  _ was _ a little exciting, really, taking what he wanted like this... And now that Vanitas was spent maybe he'd  _ finally _ stop calling him by that wretched name. A few more thrusts and Repliku began to near the edge, but he definitely had some catching up to do still. No matter, he'd just keep pounding away until he too found release.

Vanitas didn't mind being thrust into through his orgasm, or even into the afterglow, but this was starting to get... not fun. He moaned quietly. There was more pain than pleasure, but there still  _ was  _ pleasure, mostly he was just oversensitive from having just came. He misinterpreted Riku's sudden turnoff as himself having seemingly shitty stamina, so he was kind of... embarrassed. He didn't need that on top of the size difference... He was tempted to offer to finish him with his mouth but... No, his pride wouldn't let him, he'd take it until the Replica came inside him, he wasn't going to give up halfway through just because he was  _ uncomfortable.  _ "Fuck..." he mumbled, nowhere near as loud as he was being before.

Eventually Repliku started breathing harder and his thrusts became erratic. It certainly helped that the name calling had seemingly stopped. Without that constant reminder of being an inadequate  _ copy _ it was a lot easier to let himself get lost in pleasure. Vanitas really  _ did _ feel nice wrapped around him like this... For the barest of seconds Repliku debated calling out Sora's name when he reached his limits. Or Ven's. But doing that would probably get him killed, and getting killed over  _ this _ of all things wasn't worth it. No, instead the Replica just dug his fingers into Vanitas' hip and thrust ever harder, coming closer and closer to the edge. Eventually he fell over it, clinging and crying out into Vanitas' leg as he released deep inside the boy beneath him. He stilled there for a moment, fighting to catch his breath before he pulled out.

"Nnn..." Vanitas whined softly at the feeling of being filled. It was... weird, but not bad. When Riku pulled out he could feel it leaking out of him though, and that was less pleasant... He grabbed at the hand on his hip and tried to pulled the Replica closer. He wanted to kiss him again, and really it was the least he could do after he let him fuck him like that. "Hey..." he said, his voice hoarse from all the yelling. It was long past the warmth of afterglow, but he was still... happy. Yeah. Happy. That was new. But he had enjoyed himself, and the endorphins seemed to be doing wonders for him. He smiled- it was still crooked, but it was an actual smile and not a smirk. He had no idea he had done anything to upset his lover.

Repliku refused to make eye contact or be pulled close for a few moments after he was done. He was still bitter, but apparently he'd either done a remarkable job of hiding it or Vanitas just straight up didn't  _ care _ . He really wouldn't put the latter past him. Repliku glared at the wall for the barest of moments before deciding to let Vanitas coax him into a kiss. Maybe he hadn't meant to upset him, or maybe Repliku was still just trying to get past this whole Riku thing, but he at least tried to act like everything was fine. It was obvious his heart wasn't in the kiss, though, not if the other kisses were anything to go by. He just... was so  _ tired _ of being compared to the real thing...

Vanitas pulled back from the kiss after only a few moments. Now that he was clear-headed, he was noticing Riku's rather obvious change in behavior. He looked at him curiously, trying to figure it out. "What's wrong?" he asked with a small frown. This was most certainly not the correct response to losing your virginity, especially to someone as attractive as himself. He blinked. Unless... He looked down red-faced, embarrassed and really hoping this wasn't the reason the Replica was so put off. "Was I... uh... not good?" he asked, not making eye contact. He never imagined himself as being bad in bed but... Then again he'd been so into it earlier, so what changed? He finally looked back to Riku again, trying to figure out what could have possibly happened. He was concerned, and his post-coital state allowed it to actually show on his face.

Repliku sighed, having refused to make eye contact the whole time. Well, that answered one question, Vanitas had no  _ clue _ what had upset him. Heck, he'd probably missed all the signs until they kissed... "It's not that..." he admitted, even though a bitter part wanted to lie and say it was, just to hurt him. He sat back up and away from Vanitas, resolutely looking at the wall instead of at the other boy. "It's not you, it's me. Worst line in the book but it's true..." he offered as an explanation, electing not to expand on that. Really he just kind of wanted to go spend the next few hours pouting in his room alone, but the part of him that somehow wasn't mad at Vanitas said it was rude to just leave him like that. He was tempted to do it anyway.

Vanitas' brows furrowed. Well that was some bullshit. "Yeah, no, if you think I'm letting you off with that you're wrong. What the hell happened?" he asked, tightening his grip on the other boy's wrist to prevent him from fleeing. He might be bedridden, but he could easily pin him down with Unversed. His expression softened a bit and he added, "If someone did something I can kill them for you. We can bang in front of the corpse." He smiled. It was a fucked up thing to say, but it was Vanitas' way of being sweet... He didn't really know how to help his new lover if it didn't involve sex or murder really...

Repliku's lips twitched up into almost a smirk at Vanitas' twisted promise. If only that would solve the issue... Well, if they murdered Riku maybe that might make him feel better... At the thought of his doppelganger, the smile drifted back off Repliku's face and he looked further away. "Look, I just don't really wanna talk about it right now. I appreciate the thought, and honestly you were  _ really _ great, but I think I just wanna be alone right now," he said. Even now he was being a faithful Replica, Riku's penchant for horrific bouts of inopportune angst setting in. Figures that Riku would ruin the  _ one _ thing he'd managed to do that the real thing hadn't for him... Maybe once he had some energy back he'd go pick a fight with him or something.

Vanitas frowned again. "Well too bad. I wanna talk about it and I want you to stay right here. So answer the fucking question: what the hell is up with you all of a sudden? Did I do something to piss you off? You can't expect me to just let you walk off after fucking my brains out and then getting fucking angsty all of a sudden. What the hell  _ happened, _ Riku!?" Vanitas lost his temper more and more as he continued speaking, by the end of it he was yelling and his nails were digging into the Replica's wrist. No, Riku didn't get to just pull this shit after sleeping with him, it wasn't going to happen.

"I'm not  _ Riku! _ " Repliku yelled back, even louder than Vanitas had been as his head snapped up to glare at him. At the same moment he ripped his wrist out of Vanitas' grasp, not caring that his nails sliced it open and that blood was now flowing down his hand. It wasn't like blood was anything new to this encounter. His eyes were full of hurt and sorrow, a wound that had never healed strangling his heart. Once he was free he just snarled at the mattress, continuing, "I'm just a faithful Replica." After that he moved to stand with the intention of collecting his clothes and returning to his room. Even after all this, Repliku was probably just a replacement for someone else to Vanitas... The thought made his heart - something he still wasn't even sure was  _ real _ \- ache.

For the first time in his life, Vanitas actually felt guilt. He stared wide-eyed at Ri- the Replica, and no less than 5 Unversed escaped from him, slipping under the door and out of the room. "...Oh shit..." he whispered when it all finally clicked in place. All the times he'd called out Riku's name he... What if it had been the other way around? If he had called him Sora or Ventus he'd have just attacked him... and that was why he knew how much it hurt, why for once he actually experienced  _ empathy _ which he thought was simply  _ beyond _ him but he'd apparently found it in their unique yet similar circumstances... "...Idiot! I'll call you whatever the hell you want just  _ tell me _ next time!" he finally shouted. He hated this, he'd never felt this way before, heart churning with regret. "You're twice the man that dumb bastard will ever be," he insisted. "He's  _ nothing _ compared to you. Who needs the damn light, I'd rather drown in the shadows..." He didn't know when he had started saying the things he'd never admit he told  _ himself _ out loud. Finally he looked down at the floor and said something else he never thought he'd say. "...I'm sorry..." And the thing that scared him the most was he actually  _ was. _ "...So just come back to bed, dumbass..." A few more Unversed escaped him while he spoke- he had absolute shit control of his emotions at the moment, so it was to be expected.

Repliku paused at the foot of Vanitas' bed, facing away from him as he began speaking. The Unversed slipping out of the room caught his attention; those only escaped in situations where Vanitas... Repliku paid a little more attention to Vanitas' words after that. And they were everything he wanted to hear, every word something he longed to believe. Part of him wanted to ask Vanitas why he cared, why a Replica like him meant  _ anything _ to him, but... But he didn't have to ask that to hear the sincerity in his voice. Blood continued to drip down Repliku's hand onto the floor as he listened, his heart clearly longing for one thing, and it wasn't alone time in his room. Not anymore. Wordlessly Repliku turned around and climbed back onto the bed, moving himself in close to Vanitas and, rather than saying anything, closing in for a proper redo of their kiss from before. This time he wouldn't slack off.

Vanitas smiled when the Replica climbed back on the bed with him and he kissed him back eagerly. A hand went to the boy's hair, but it was less rough than usual, more out of laziness than anything else. He hummed contently. Part of him wanted to threaten the Replica to never repeat anything he had said here ever, but... for some reason part of him thought he didn't  _ need _ to. Which was stupid. He didn't trust people, even if he  _ was _ sleeping with them; this had obviously proven itself to go far beyond a one-time fling, he realized. That was also uncomfortable to think about. Were they... Nonono, labels were messy, don't even think about it. At that point he turned his brain  _ off _ and just let himself get lost in the kiss. Not as rough as their others, but just as passionate. It was almost tender... A generic post coital thing he assumed. After a while he broke away, looking up into the Replica's eyes and running his fingers through his hair. "...So..." he began, a small crooked smile on his face. "...What  _ do  _ I call you?" His smile turned quickly into a full blown smirk as he thought of something. "Next time you can tie me up and I can call you 'master'," he suggested.

Repliku matched his smirk, obviously feeling  _ much _ better now. "Mm, as tempting as that is, I think  _ next _ time you have a promise to keep," he said. He was, of course, referring to the promise to bring him to orgasm crying the dark boy's name he'd made when they were back in Xehanort's room. His smirk fell a fraction into a more contemplative look as he addressed the question at hand. "I'm... not sure, honestly... 'Riku' is the only thing anyone's ever called me other than 'the Replica', which I guess is why I didn't bother correcting you at the time..." he admitted, looking away a little guiltily. He probably should've just asked Vanitas to call him something else the first time it happened, but part of him had been afraid he'd just keep calling him Riku to spite him or something...

Vanitas' face slowly fell into a frown. Well that was shitty; even the old man had had the decency to give him a  _ name _ . He was surprised when he wasn't really mad at the Replica for not having corrected him sooner, it made sense to him somehow why he didn't... He didn't like that though, so he pretended to be at least annoyed. "Whatever," he said shortly. "Hmm... A name for..." He paused and then looked up at the Replica again and grinned. "A beautiful black-hearted bastard." He decided that was how he was going to describe him, yeah. Still didn't answer the ever prudent question though... He mulled it over some more before finally announcing, "Rei," and kissing him on the nose.

Repliku returned Vanitas' grin, appreciating his description. He eagerly awaited his new name, and it was given with a kiss on the nose. "Rei..." he repeated, tasting the name on his tongue. It was close, but... different, like Sora and Roxas. Yes, this name would do nicely. He smiled up at Vanitas and relayed, "I think I like that."

"Good because you're stuck with it now." He leaned in and kissed him properly this time, though it remained surprisingly chaste. "It means zero- nothing. My name means 'emptiness'. See? We match now," he said with a smirk, overly proud of himself. There was something... very possessive and satisfying about naming someone like this, he found. Even after the drama he found himself quickly returning to a state of post-coital bliss, his Replica's -  _ Rei's -  _ improvement in mood seemingly infectious. Which probably should have worried him, but after all that he really just didn't care. He leaned up and bit down on the other boy's earlobe, tugging playfully before whispering, "You're  _ mine _ now." Wow, he certainly  _ had _ gotten possessive, hadn't he...

Rei returned the smirk when Vanitas explained the name's meaning. 'Nothing' for someone as good or  _ better _ than the original and 'Emptiness' for someone so  _ full _ it spilled out of him on a regular basis. Yes, it was perfect. He tilted his head to the side slightly and rewarded Vanitas with a moan in response to the bite and whisper. Rei had been 'owned' for pretty much his entire existence, but this felt... different. The Replica found this time around he didn't really mind belonging to someone, if that someone was Vanitas, who actually deemed him worthy of his own name... "Works for me," Rei answered, moving one of his hands to run down Vanitas' back. Now that he didn't feel like leaving anymore, Rei idly wondered if Vanitas could be convinced to let him spend the night...

Vanitas would need no convincing of that; that had been his intention from the start. It wasn't like he wanted to _ cuddle _ or anything stupid like that, he just, he wanted... you know... It didn't matter. He leaned back and kissed Rei on the lips again, glad they were on the same page and the boy didn't protest his claim. When he pulled back this time he was laying down and tugging the Replica with him. They were still on top of the blankets but... did he care? Not really. He'd have a human space heater anyway... He grinned up at the boy, compelled to keep talking. "You were  _ fantastic _ by the way," he complimented. It was true, he had done a remarkable job despite being angry through most of it apparently... Honestly whatever he'd been doing because he'd been pissed Vanitas had probably  _ liked _ and that was why he hadn't noticed... "And..." he began. He blushed and broke eye contact, someone who didn't know him might be expecting him to say something romantic. "...You are hung like a  _ damn horse _ ," he admitted. Did Rei even realize? Did he ever have anything to compare it to? It baffled him.

Rei willingly let himself get pulled down on top of Vanitas, but winced and hissed slightly when he wound up bracing himself with his injured wrist. Right, that had been a thing that had happened... Whatever, it wasn't as important as what Vanitas was saying now, they could address it later. "Why thank you," he responded with a smirk, to both compliments. He had, in fact, never had anything to compare himself to given that before the true Organization took him in he'd lived for a grand total of about three weeks. To be honest, he didn't really want to think about the second compliment too hard because that either meant Riku was the same way or he had yet  _ another _ reason to be  _ really really concerned about Vexen _ . Mostly to distract himself from thoughts of the past, he lifted his wrist to examine the damage. The blood flow had lessened, but it was still bleeding a little, and his hand was covered besides. Rei turned back to Vanitas and raised a questioning eyebrow as he asked, "I don't suppose you have bandages lying around somewhere? I'd apologize for bleeding on your bed, but I've got a feeling that's something you do on a regular basis." He offered his lover a good-natured smirk, obviously not judging the other for his masochistic tendencies. Rei had rather willingly indulged in them, after all.

Vanitas snorted. "You can still see the stains," he said, indicating he did, in fact, bleed on his bed regularly. He had no doubt that he had caused the injury, but he had no idea when it had happened. He wasn't sorry in the slightest, it was just a scratch after. Still, Rei was his now and he should at least try to take care of his things. He carefully grabbed the injured hand and started licking it clean, lapping the blood up eagerly. Once most of the excess was gone he kept his mouth over the actual wound to keep it from making any more mess... not that he cared about the mess much, he probably enjoyed the taste of blood more... He didn't have any bandages - he really didn't take care of himself, after all - but he'd make do. He grabbed where the sheet was already ripped and tore a strip of the fabric off, then used it to make a makeshift bandage. "Good enough," he declared once he finished tying it off. "Feel free to bleed on my bed  _ any time, _ " he said with a smirk to the boy on top of him.

As Vanitas started to lap at the blood coating his hand, Rei watched with fascination. His heart started beating a little faster and he began breathing just a little harder, a soft flush staining his cheeks. He couldn't help it, there was just something  _ sexy _ about watching Vanitas lick the blood off his hand and wrist. Rei certainly didn't mind the feel of it, either. Suddenly 'kiss it and make it better' made a  _ lot _ more sense. He was still distracted when Vanitas finished tying the makeshift bandage around his wrist, and it sounded like he noticed. A smirk found its way to his face as Rei tried in vain to hide how much that had affected him. "I guess we'll have to see what happens," he answered, not making a commitment one way or the other. Rei wasn't sure how much he actually liked getting injured, but if the aftercare was like  _ that _ then maybe it might be worth it... So long as Vanitas didn't go overboard, anyway.

Vanitas' smirk widened. Oh, he noticed all right. "That really turned you on didn't it." It was a statement not a question. His hands were trailing over Rei's back, the touch was gentle, but that was why it was obviously dangerous. "Careful, give me the wrong idea and I'll start cutting you up," he warned. And oh he  _ wanted _ to now, to see more of that red contrasting against alabaster skin, to stain that pretty white hair... Mmm... Yes, he was going to have to convince him to let him do that now, he had already gotten too attached to the idea. Of course, Rei was more than welcome to return the favor. He imagined their blood pooling beneath them and mixing together... There was something about that that was just... exhilarating, for some reason. He was licking his lips and looking at the other boy hungrily.

A shiver ran down Rei's spine at the words, and oh yeah, he was getting turned on again. There was no hiding it when they were arranged like this. Knowing that, Rei just smirked down at Vanitas and didn't bother to deny it. "You'll have to be a  _ good boy _ to earn  _ that _ privilege," he warned back, his injured hand finding its way into Vanitas' hair. He tugged on it lightly as he leant down to claim Vanitas' lips in a kiss that was surely too light for the other boy. But, well, if Vanitas was going to tease him, he was going to tease Vanitas right back. There was something exciting about this dangerous game they were playing, and Rei just couldn't find it in himself to resist its pull.

"Mm-" Vanitas was silenced by the other boy's lips before he could form a response. Rei's words sent a shiver down his spine. Oh, he had  _ no shame _ when it came to his sexual desires and fantasies, even if one would think he'd be too proud for some things. He'd be more than happy to let Rei slap him around and have his way with him... The Replica belonged to  _ him _ , but having him talk down to him like that was... He shivered again. God he was  _ sexy.  _ He dug his nails lightly into the other boy's back, trailing them down and leaving light scratches, but nothing close to drawing blood, he lamented. How had he found such an amazing creature? Someone who would indulge him so shamelessly... He felt his heart speed up and he moaned quietly into the kiss that wasn't  _ enough. _ He pulled back just enough to speak, his lips still brushing the Replica's as the words formed. "I don't know if I can do that... Maybe you'll have to teach me a lesson,  _ Rei. _ " He pointedly drew out the boy's new name, loving the feel of it on his tongue.

Rei shivered at the call of his new name and the insinuation in Vanitas' voice. Oooh, that was tempting... The grin that graced Rei's face in response was positively  _ wicked _ . "I just might," he returned, fisting his hand in Vanitas' hair and yanking it hard. He used the new grip to bare Vanitas' throat to him as he leant down and bit into it, not bothering to hold himself back. Rei's other hand trailed down the other boy's side, digging his nails into the skin but just tauntingly too light to draw blood. If he wanted Rei to  _ really _ draw blood, he'd have to behave himself, and probably he'd have to beg for it. The thoughts of holding back because of Vanitas' injuries were long gone. After all, he wouldn't put it past Vanitas to purposefully agitate his own wounds just to heighten the pain he was feeling. That leg had to stay out of the action, though, or Rei would have to  _ punish _ him for disobeying the doctor's orders~

"AahhhHHH!" Vanitas cried out. Oh the sweet  _ sweet _ pain. But it wasn't enough, not by a long shot. He squirmed, hands clawing at Rei's back much harder now. He had no idea why he had thought they would be too tired to do this again; he was already hard again, he wouldn't be surprised if Rei was too. He reached down between them and reached for the other boy's cock, wrapping his hand around it and pulling a little harder than was probably comfortable. "Put it back in," he ordered. He was loose enough still from the first time there shouldn't be any problem- any need to wait, and if it did hurt that was  _ better. _

Rei hissed in pleasure at the hands clawing down his back, arching into the touch. The more the boy squirmed underneath him, the more turned on he got. But Vanitas tugging on him was a little  _ too _ painful, so he removed the hand from Vanitas' side and wrapped it around the other boy's to guide it properly. "What's the magic word?" he taunted between biting and sucking on Vanitas' neck. He loosened the grip on his lover's hair momentarily before reacquiring it and tugging even harder than before.  _ Oh _ it was nice hearing Vanitas cry out and moan because of the things he was doing to him. What he would give to hear him screaming out his name,  _ his _ name, as a result of all this...

" _ Excuse me? _ " Vanitas shot back as soon as the words left Rei's lips. He realized he had literally  _ just _ told the boy to do this, but part of him had honestly not thought he had the balls to go through with it. He was glad that part was wrong though, very glad. Besides, he still had to play his part and put up a fight or it wouldn't be as fun. " _ Fuck! _ " he cried as his hair was pulled again. He shuddered and squirmed. God it was already feeling like too much again, was his stamina really that shitty? Maybe Rei was just innately  _ talented _ . But damn he fucking wanted him and he wanted him  _ right now. _ He bucked his hips trying to earn some friction, and the hand on Rei's back slid up to pull at the boy's hair as he was doing to him.

"Close," Rei taunted, smirking into Vanitas' neck. Oh, he was having  _ fun _ now. It was exhilarating, getting to do all of this to the dark-haired boy... "Try again," he insisted with a playful lilt to his voice. He removed his hand from around Vanitas', trusting his lover to stroke him  _ right _ this time, and ghosted a finger along the other boy's length. Maybe he was pushing his luck with all his teasing, but there was just a  _ tinge _ of bitterness left over from before. It wasn't getting to him, not really. It had more morphed into a feeling along the lines of 'Vanitas had his fun, now it's my turn'.

"Rei!" Vanitas whined, bucking his hips up into the boy's touch, desperate for contact, for  _ anything _ at this point. Defiantly he went back to stroking Rei roughly the second his hand left him. He had every intention of pushing him to see just how far he would go; he wanted to see how he'd 'punish' him if he even had the guts to do it. Oh no, Vanitas wasn't going to make this easy at all. He pulled on the boy's hair again. "Just fuck me already!" He was already panting. He was a mess, really. He'd like to blame it on the fact that this was the second time in a row but he had a feeling that wasn't the case...

"Hmm, what to  _ do _ ," Rei purred in Vanitas' ear, catching Vanitas' wrist and pulling it away from him. He pinned it mercilessly to the bed, nails biting into the thin flesh on the underside of his wrist. "You said the magic word, but you're being such a  _ bad _ boy..." he taunted, finally pulling away from Vanitas' neck so he could sit up straight. The hand in Vanitas' hair left it in favor of being used to move Vanitas' good leg aside. Rei smirked down at Vanitas wickedly, his gaze hungry and promising that he had a downright  _ cruel _ plan in store. "I guess you'll just have to be taught a  _ lesson _ , then," the silver-haired boy said decisively, lifting Vanitas' hips just enough so that he could angle himself properly. He pushed into Vanitas  _ painfully _ slowly and stilled once he was fully inside, smirking expectantly down at his lover. If he'd just been a good boy, he would've gotten instructions, but since he'd misbehaved he'd just have to figure it out~

Vanitas kept his gaze locked on the other boy, watching in anticipation, waiting to see what he'd do... He was surprised when he actually entered him, even if it was agonizingly slow... "Aahh..." he moaned. His face was flush, he was finally  _ full _ again, but... He was shaking again not after long, and he bucked his hips restlessly against his lover. "Move!" he ordered. He had no patience left. He  _ needed _ it. And Rei was still torturing him like this... So that was his game, huh? He gave a shaky smirk. " _ Bastard _ ," he said, though it had less bite than it ought to have given Vanitas'...  _ state.  _ Defiant once again he pulled the hand out of Rei's hair and began to stroke himself to get at least some relief. He watched Rei's face the whole time, the look he was giving him was driving him  _ mad. _

Rei clicked his tongue condescendingly and grabbed Vanitas' other wrist, pulling it away and moving to pin both of Vanitas' wrists behind his back. One hand stayed dedicated to the hand pinning and the other moved to pin Vanitas' hips in an effort to keep him still. Rei's smirk widened just a fraction as he leaned back down to Vanitas' ear and whispered seductively, " _ What's the magic word? _ " Oh, Rei  _ wanted _ to move, but now that he'd started this game he was gonna see it through the whole way. He could tell by the look on Vanitas' face that he  _ knew _ what he wanted and was just being difficult for the sake of being difficult. Well, no matter. By the end of this Rei had every intention of having Vanitas  _ screaming _ his name with every breath.

Vanitas shuddered at being manhandled, enjoying every minute of it far more than he should have. He was panting and  _ oh _ Rei whispering in his ear like that was  _ doing things  _ to him. He whined softly at not being able to move, painfully hard at this point. But still, he was nothing if not stubborn. "Fuck you," he managed, amazed he was able to keep his voice relatively even. He struggled at the hand restraining him; he could probably break free if he really tried, definitely if he wasn't already so beat up, but that wasn't how the game  _ worked _ . Attempts to move his hips were a little more legitimate though, he really needed to feel  _ something _ or he was going to go insane...

"What's that?" Rei answered tauntingly. "You want me to just leave you here like this? I'm  _ sure _ that could be arranged, you have more than enough toys that could take my place... I could tie you to the bed, leave one of them inside you and just watch you  _ squirm _ . Is that what you want?" Rei's breath ghosted teasingly over Vanitas' ear, close but not touching. The more Vanitas' hips squirmed the tighter Rei's grip became, and honestly he was debating seeing if the little Flood was around and could fetch him some rope so he could free up one of his hands to better pin down its master's hips. If there was anything Rei was positive about it was that Vanitas had some rope lying around somewhere. He very resolutely made sure not to move inside the other boy, the lack of friction not a problem for him because of how much having Vanitas at his mercy was turning him on.  _ Oh _ this was fun, why hadn't they done this sooner...?

_ Oh.  _ Oh  _ fuck.  _ Vanitas shuddered again, the image of him tied up helpless and  _ writhing _ while the other boy just  _ watched _ him burned into his mind. He had never been so turned on in his life. He whimpered softly and his hips stilled. He finally broke. " _ Please, _ " he begged. " _ Please _ fuck me. Fuck me so hard I can't even remember my name..." His voice was uneven, he was still shaking. " _ Please _ Rei." He wouldn't stop talking until the other boy moved. "I'm fucking  _ begging _ you." Despite the fact it was obviously turning him on, his face was red from the humiliation. But really it was just another type of delicious pain to him...

Rei's smirk stretched as wide as it would go. " _ There _ it is," he purred in Vanitas' ear in praise, rewarding him with a sharp nibble to his earlobe. The fact that he'd actually gotten Vanitas to say  _ please _ sent a thrill through him that left him breathing hard. He'd just expected the other boy to say his name, maybe utter a  _ mocking _ please, but he'd never thought he'd get a  _ sincere _ one. Much less  _ three _ . Rei decided to relent on his original plan and have mercy on the guy, beginning to thrust into him slowly but quickly gaining speed. Sooner rather than later he was thrusting hard and deep, aiming to match his pace from the first round since it had obviously felt good for Vanitas. Rei bit down on Vanitas' neck again and removed the hand pinning the other boy's wrists behind his back so he could claw down his chest. Once Rei was up to speed he removed the hand from Vanitas' hip and wrapped it instead around the other boy's length, stroking him in time with his thrusts. Now that he'd gotten going he didn't want to stop, and he was glad he'd decided it didn't really matter if Vanitas kept calling out his name or not. As long as he didn't call out Riku's.  _ That _ would end poorly.

" _ Fuck! _ " Vanitas breathed as Rei finally,  _ finally _ started to move. He moaned loudly and whined when the pace was slow at first, but Rei got up to speed sooner rather than later, slamming into him quick and hard. " _ AaaaHHH! _ " he cried when the other boy finally began to stroke his neglected dick. He was bucking his hips wildly, already to the point he was having trouble keeping Rei's time. When his hands were free they flew up around the Replica's back, clawing desperately at the skin. It might have been hard enough to cut him this time, with all the attention to his neck and his chest and being  _ fucked _ like this he really couldn't focus on much of anything. And then Rei finally found his sweet spot. " _ Rei! _ " he cried out, clawing even harder. "Fuck!  _ REI!! _ " He was seeing stars with every thrust now, he was so close... " _ Harder! REEEIII!! _ " Had he had any sense left in him he might have been worried making a demand like that would get him 'punished' again, but he was way too far gone... and he probably would have done it anyway.

The longer it went on the harder Rei breathed, and the harder he thrusted. He pounded mercilessly into Vanitas, spurred on by the hands clawing down his back and the repeated calls of his name. He was pretty sure he could feel blood begin to dribble down his back, but he didn't really care, just clawing all the harder on Vanitas' chest in an effort to break the skin. Rei bit down even harder on Vanitas' neck, sucking mercilessly at the skin beneath his lips and reveling in Vanitas' responses. Like his lover, Rei too was getting close to the edge, thrusts beginning to grow erratic as he sought out the pleasure to push him over the edge. His strokes and thrusts were mistimed now, a slight twist added to the motion of his hand. Vanitas just felt so  _ good _ like this, the pleasure was  _ amazing _ ... Coherent thoughts fled his mind, only instinct guiding him now. He was close, so  _ close _ ...

In almost no time at all Vanitas came, screaming his lover's name over and over. " _ REI, REI! REEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIII!! _ " He kept bucking his hips through his orgasm, trying to milk the pleasure for as long as he could. His body felt numb and like it was being smothered at the same time. He finally fell limp on the bed, his body shaking. He had rarely ever came twice so soon together like that, certainly not so...  _ vigorously  _ before. He was completely and utterly spent, unable to do anything besides lay there panting in vain trying to catch his breath.

The feeling of Vanitas' orgasm and the repeated callings, no,  _ screamings _ of his name were enough to finally push Rei over the edge. " _ Vanitas!! _ " he screamed into said man's shoulder, releasing hard inside him as he continued to thrust through his own orgasm. The hand at Vanitas' chest left angry red welts in its wake as it clawed its way down one last time, Rei more than willing to continue stroking Vanitas through his orgasm. Holy  _ shit _ he'd never felt so amazing, so  _ alive _ as in that moment. Eventually his thrusts slowed and came to a stop before Rei pulled out and collapsed on top of Vanitas, completely spent. He fought to catch his breath much like the other boy, words completely beyond him at the moment. But it was fine. They'd both had  _ plenty _ of fun, and now they could just relax and bask in the wondrous afterglow.

Weakly, Vanitas wrapped his arms around the boy on top of him. He was grinning tiredly; he had been since Rei had called his name. "...Looks like I made good on that promise," he managed eventually, though his breath was still uneven. He kissed him, soft and sweet but still with the edge that came with any kiss from Vanitas, and when he pulled away he... was compelled to say  _ stupid _ things. He did his best to push them all from his mind, instead saying, "You're fucking  _ amazing, _ " letting a hand trail up and comb through the Replica's hair as he spoke. His face was still flush, and his eyes hazy. He was tired... This conversation wasn't going to be very long.

Rei chuckled at the reminder of the promise, still too out of breath to comment on it. One of his own hands came up to twine lazily in Vanitas' hair as they kissed, and he hummed appreciatively into it. He was  _ really _ glad they'd decided to do this... "Why thank you... I do try..." Rei responded just as tiredly, already fighting to keep his eyes open. He just felt so absolutely  _ wonderful _ ... Compelled to return the sentiment, the Replica continued, "You're not so bad... yourself..." Sated and sleepy, Rei allowed his eyes to drift closed, confident Vanitas wouldn't kick him out of his bed. There would inevitably be drama that arose from all this, but for just a moment, everything was absolutely perfect...

Vanitas hummed softly in response, burying his face in silver hair. He closed his eyes as well, perfectly content to just fall asleep here and use Rei as his blanket. Though, they would have to bathe in the morning, he was sticky and sleeping like this it would get all over Rei too... Oh well, they could have more fun in the shower. He smiled at the thought. "...I'm gonna sleep for a week..." he mumbled quietly, not even sure if the other boy was awake still. Between his injuries from Isa and the fact that his ass was undoubtedly going to be sore, he probably would take even longer to walk again... Oh well. It was worth it. Completely worth it.

And with the festivities finally over a small Flood poked out from under the bed, scurrying around and making its way to join the two sleeping boys, snuggling up to Rei's arm and joining them in dream land.


	14. Marluxia and Even find a Get Along Shirt only the Shirt is Negative Shirts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Marluxia says surprisingly nice things in french but pisses Even off anyway because he can't understand him.  
> Ienzo is emotionally traumatized.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the long delay. The holiday season is to busy for us all I think @.@  
> A bit sorry for the excessively french Marluxia headcanon I have picked up over the years.  
> A lot more sorry for the poorly google translated french text. If you do speak french you have been warned and we are very, very sorry. The french was baked into the plot long before we decided to post this.  
> A rough idea of what the french is supposed to say (again apologies) will be listed in translation note at the end.

Meanwhile, while all that stuff was going on, Even was throwing a _fit_ . As Ienzo was well aware, the lab was now in a state of absolute chaos, at least three tables overturned and a bunsen burner coated in ice. The scholar was pacing back and forth, trying and failing to get his temper under control. _Marluxia_ of all people. So what, they were supposed to just invite the Organization's traitor to live in their midst? So what if Marluxia's plan would've actually put a dent in Xehanort's! He wouldn't put it past Marluxia to have actually turned to Xehanort's side, and have just come to spy on them and tear them apart. He wouldn't-

No. He had to calm down. Rage was what Marluxia wanted. Even sighed as he braced the heavy metal table in the center of the room, the one Ienzo had bolted to the floor five years ago so he couldn't flip it over. Okay, technically it had been _Zexion_ who had bolted the table to the floor, but the point remained. Once more Even looked over the notes he'd laid out, trying to push past the frustration of not understanding where the experiment laid out on them had gone wrong. It should have gone smoothly, but, well, as Ienzo was so fond of reminding him the centrifuge had caught on fire. If there was no flaw in the equation then it could probably be chalked up to a technical malfunction, but he wanted to be sure. Humming, Even walked over to one of the various chalkboards in the room, laying the equation out and trying to rework it from the ground up. Maybe he'd missed something the first time...

Marluxia had honestly appreciated that he'd been given shelter. The room they had shown him to was surprisingly large, though he supposed most in the castle were. Still, as much as he was grateful... Well, they couldn't honestly expect him to just leave Even alone after it had been so long, could they?

So he found himself carefully poking around the castle, doing his best not to run into the others or rouse suspicion; his snooping could easily be misconstrued as something nefarious... Well it was something nefarious, but he wasn't selling information to the enemy or anything of the sort. It took him some time, but he did find his way to the labs. He could _hear_ Even's fit from where he was. He waited patiently for the opportune time to strike... Eventually it came, Even quieted down and he peeked around the corner to find the man with his back turned, attention focused on a chalkboard. He smirked. Perfect. He glided across the room silently - he was an assassin after all - and carefully wrapped his arms around the taller man's waist from behind. "Bonjour, mon amour," he whispered into his ear.

The chalk snapped as Even's eyes widened and his body went rigid. Instinctively he tried to elbow the man behind him in the ribs and stomp on his foot to get him _away_ . He'd thought he'd felt someone behind him, but he'd expected it to be _Ienzo_ , not... "What are you _doing_ here, Marluxia?!" Even shouted, whirling around whether he got free of Marluxia's grip or not. "You are _not allowed in the labs!_ " he continued angrily, glaring at his nemesis. Oh no, _absolutely_ not. This was _his_ space, _his_ retreat, and Marluxia was _not_ allowed to be there! Where were Dilan and Aeleus?! Surely they'd explained that to him! Not that the jerk probably _cared_...

Marluxia regretfully let go of Even in favor of taking a step back to avoid the man's assault. "I came here to see you, mon cher, I thought that much was obvious." He completely ignored Even's statement about being 'allowed' here. Something so trivial was of no consequence to him. He was of course smirking smugly, enjoying every bit of the other man's rage. He flicked a hand through his hair and a few petals fell to the floor.

Even's eyebrow twitched in irritation. As he'd thought, he literally _was_ here just to make his life a living nightmare. Glaring disdainfully down at the flowery assassin, Even responded, "Well, now you have seen me. If you would now kindly take your _leave_ I have _work_ to do." He set down the piece of chalk he was still holding and knelt to pick up the piece that had fallen to the floor. Even _hated_ working with fresh chalk, broken or otherwise. He made Ienzo or Aeleus wear them down first so they wouldn't make that obnoxious _squeak_. Even as he was fetching the chalk from the floor, his glare never left Marluxia, knowing better than to turn his back to the man in a situation like this.

"All work and no play makes Even a dull boy," he said in retort to the man's dismissal. They both knew Even would have to try much harder than that if he wanted to be rid of him. And then Even kneeled on the ground before him. Marluxia's smirk grew, the words left his lips before he could help himself. "You look good on your knees, mon lapin de neige." It was a bit crass for him, but he couldn't help it when the man had given him such a golden opportunity.

The first taunt had no effect on Even; just as they both knew it would take more than that to make Marluxia leave, they both knew it would take more than that to annoy the blonde when he was expecting harassment. The second, however, resulted in a reaction much the same as Marluxia's initial appearance. "I said _get out!_ " Even practically screamed, standing and chucking the freshly-reacquired chalk at Marluxia's head. In the next moment Even summoned his shield, not caring about collateral damage to the lab and not having Aeleus around to stop him. Oh, he was _not_ putting up with this today. If he had to _kill_ Marluxia to get him to go away then so be it.

Marluxia was, as always, unfazed... Well, maybe that wasn't entirely true, he had found himself holding in a laugh; he had expected a large reaction from that, but things had escalated quite quickly. He summoned his scythe to match Even's shield, more than ready for a fight, and looking forward to what he believed would follow. "Always so cold, but I suppose that's to be expected," he said, his smirk never waning. "Votre rage ne manque jamais de livrer, mon amour."

"I don't speak _French!_ " Even shouted at the other man, lunging at him with his shield. _Oh_ how he _hated_ Marluxia. Hated the entire light-forsaken French language. He had no idea what Marluxia was saying to him, and that awful feeling of not _knowing_ grated on him as much or more than the presence of his intellectual rival. It was times like this he almost lamented his primary weapon being a shield, longing for something sharper so he could stab at the man, _rip_ his skin open and spill his innards out on the floor... Okay, so that was a little morbid even for him, but he was _angry_ . Let Marluxia stay, they said. _It would be fun, they said._

Marluxia parried the blow effortlessly as always. "I am well aware, mon cher," he taunted back. Yes, Even, you not knowing French was the point. Because you not knowing something is what you hate most. He pushed back against Even, flicking his scythe intending to bat the other man away. "I _have_ missed this, I must say."

Even raised his shield and held his ground, grunting as the force of the blow pushed him back an inch or two. "I can safely say that I have _not_ ," Even countered, swinging his shield at Marluxia in retaliation. Maybe his shield wasn't as sharp as a weapon like a sword, but it wasn't exactly _dull_ either. It would do. Already Even was plotting what he could do to harm Marluxia if he insisted on remaining in the lab. After all, the lab was _his_ home field advantage, and he knew where all _sorts_ of horrible concoctions were stored. Heck, if he could capture Marluxia and bind him down, maybe he could even use him as a subject for his _experiments_...

Marluxia, true to form, gracefully dodged the blow with a littering of petals in his wake. He spun his scythe and brought it down overhand; it would surely get blocked, but that wasn't the point. "You wound me," he said, though he certainly did not look or sound in any way upset by the comment, quite the contrary actually. "Vraiment, je l'ai désiré ardemment pour être à vos côtés à nouveau, mon amour."

Even's face contorted in a scowl as the other man spouted off more French at him. He did, in fact, block the blow from the scythe, but he didn't immediately try and push the weapon away. "You would sound much more _intelligent_ were I more sure you weren't just stringing together random syllables to _annoy_ me," Even taunted with an annoyed smirk, raising his free hand in a flourish and shooting a sizable icicle at the other man. He was, after all, the _chilly_ academic, and Even had no shame in using his magic. Not if it meant he got to _pierce that awful man's heart_. He needed to get Marluxia out of the lab sooner rather than later, or things were really going to get ugly.

At this close range, that attack was very hard to dodge, especially with his scythe hooked over the spikes of the other man's shield. He knew he couldn't pull it free in time, so Marluxia lunged to the side, slightly circling the other man. The blow still grazed him, the frost spreading around the small rip in his shirt. He only grinned. "I assure you Even, my words are very real and _very_ sincere. Truly." He then yanked his scythe towards him, using the previously unfortunate catch on the shield to his advantage and pulling Even toward him. Their faces were close now. "Parce que mon coeur est revenu à moi, la nostalgie m'a ramené ici, mon amour. Vraiment, les jours ont été plus sombres sans toi. Bien que... je trouve ta colère plus charmante que ton sourire." he spoke quickly, knowing he did not have much time to accomplish his goal before the man attacked him again. And then he kissed him on the cheek.

A wickedly satisfied grin grew on Even's face when he nicked Marluxia with his ice spell. Was he bleeding? He _so_ hoped Marluxia was bleeding. Before he could gloat he was pulled closer to Marluxia and the pleased smirk drifted off his face, replaced instead by a look of surprise. And then Marluxia began speaking that darned _French_ at him again and Even scowled, trying to pull away and dislodge the scythe from his shield. Even opened his mouth to remind Marluxia once again that he _didn't freaking speak French_ when the man leaned forward and kissed his cheek. That... What? Even stared at Marluxia in wide-eyed horror for a split second before bringing his shield down between their faces.

Even backed away and against the wall when the scythe was finally dislodged, continuing to stare at Marluxia in confused horror. What the _heck_ ?! The shield stayed firmly between him and Marluxia while Even's brain tried to reboot from the unexpected move. "Wh-What was that?!" he finally asked, shaking in something like rage. He... Marluxia would do _anything_ to toy with him, wouldn't he? The rage grew and so did Even's shaking, the man coiled as tight as a cobra, ready to strike if Marluxia so much as _inched_ closer to him. Around him ice began to creep up the floor and wall where they met with Even's body, his anger draining the heat from the room.

"Vous êtes vraiment agissez comme un lapin effrayé, comment adorable," Marluxia commented on Even's behavior. Still, perhaps he had frightened him too much, that wouldn't do... "I do believe on most worlds they call it a kiss," he replied smartly, knowing full well that wasn't what the man was really asking, but he couldn't just give him a straight answer, that would be no fun. There was nothing straight about this anyway. He debated his next move carefully... Should he risk getting close to the man now? It would be rather convenient with his back to the wall... but it was probably more wise to simply provoke Even into coming to him. He stood his ground.

"You know that's not what I meant!" Even shouted, gesturing wildly. He raised his non-shield arm above his head and gestured in a circle, summoning more ice to attack Marluxia with. There was no way he was going to let Marluxia get close, not if he was pulling stunts like _that_ . He sent the ice Marluxia's way, still making sure to keep his shield raised. "I've had just about enough of you! Get _out_ of my laboratory!" he insisted once again. Where was Aeleus when he needed him?

At this range the attack was easy enough to deflect, Marluxia swung his scythe in front of him, crashing the ice to the ground before it reached him. "Au contraire, I don't believe you could ever have enough of me." He smirked, a flower formed in his hand. "A token of my affection, mon cher." He did not make it clear if he was referring to the kiss or the flower in his hand. "In truth, love and hate are inseparable, two sides of the same coin. They become mixed and muddied more often than not," he said vaguely, but not too much so, enough to get Even's mind churning again. His own poetics reminded him of an old friend, but he didn't dwell on it. He threw the flower in Even's direction, not particularly hard, aiming for it to land in the man's hair.

Even's hand flew up to snatch the flower out of the air before it could reach his head. With a snarl he twisted it slightly and immediately iced the whole thing at once. "You can _keep_ your affection," Even countered, throwing the flower right back at Marluxia. It was unclear if the blush on his face was from embarrassment, anger, or... something _else_ . It was clear Marluxia's words had their intended effect, Even's mind churning over the possibilities of just what the other man meant. He couldn't _possibly_ be insinuating... But it terrified Even with just how much _sense_ it made. Scientifically, Marluxia wasn't wrong... And he _hated_ that.

Marluxia caught the now frozen flower as easily as Even had. He really should have expected as much, but he was still a bit disappointed. "Now, now, Even, don't you think it's rude to go and hurt my feelings when I've only just gotten them back?" he asked, ever smirking. Once again it was fairly obvious he was in no way actually affected by Even's harshness. "Et donc le jeu continue... juste assez, mon amour," he said as he finally began to approach the man, on guard knowing he would be attacked at the first step.

And attacked he was. Even lunged at Marluxia, aiming to slice at him with the pointed end of his shield. He had had _enough_ of this, he wanted to see Marluxia _bleed_ . Even was shaking in rage, and just a tinge of fear. Having a heart made all of this a lot harder to tolerate, because it panged inside him. He tried not to think about exactly why. Even couldn't afford any distractions when Marluxia was his opponent. Once more he quickly ran through a list of what and where things in the lab he could use against Marluxia were stored, the list just _slightly_ different from before after certain... revelations. He didn't bother deigning Marluxia's words with a response, knowing whatever response he _did_ give would just be twisted and thrown back at him anyway. Crafty little guttersnipe...

Marluxia grinned. Even was making this easy for him, losing his temper and charging to close range again rather than wisely keeping his distance. He parried with his scythe, but then did something a bit... reckless. He grabbed onto the shield with his bare hand and yanked it to the side with as much force as he could muster. He was bleeding now, of course, surely to Even's pleasure, but it would be worth it. He had a clear shot at the man's face again, after all. "Better luck next time, my love." He had meant to say it in French, but slipped up due to the rush and the pain- not that he'd noticed yet. And finally this time he leaned in and kissed the man properly on the mouth, humming satisfied at the feeling of cold lips against his own.

Even was pleased that Marluxia was bleeding, oh yes, but it was outweighed by the surprise of his move and then the surprise of his _words_ . The blonde flinched back and stared wide-eyed at Marluxia, about to reprimand him for using such language, but then he _kissed_ him. Even hadn't thought his eyes could've flown any wider but they did, his heart panging painfully again. For a moment he was rather ironically frozen, having no _clue_ how to respond to... this. After his mind rebooted once again, Even pushed Marluxia away, stumbling backwards and pressing himself against the wall. His shield shattered into snowflakes as his concentration was similarly broken, the hand that had previously been holding it hovering over his heart as he stared in horror at Marluxia. "Wh... What..." he muttered helplessly, completely thrown for a loop by Marluxia's behavior.

Marluxia licked his lips as he watched the man flee, grinning smugly at his reaction. He dismissed Graceful Dahlia for the time being; he wouldn't be needing it with Even in _this_ state. "Mon petit lapin effrayé de neige..." He began to walk closer. " _Mon amour..._ " He closed in on him and delicately took a strand of Even's hair between his fingers and kissed it. "Why do you run?" he asked, pretending he didn't know the answer. He looked Even in the eye, completely unwavering. Even was, unfortunately, still just a _hair_ taller than him, even with his old heels back, but he was currently slouching so he could still satisfyingly look _down_ on him.

Even whimpered in confusion when Marluxia took his hair and kissed it, all too vividly remembering Lea's joke after the card game. Joke? Was it a joke or did Lea _know_ ? The anger he felt towards Lea kickstarted his body with the urge to _hurt_ something. " _Get away from me!_ " he cried out, sounding more terrified than angry as he slapped Marluxia's hand away from him. What was _wrong_ with him? He... Marluxia couldn't be _serious_ , could he?! This was all just some elaborate ruse! He tried to back further away from Marluxia, but that just resulted in him literally backing himself into a corner, a fact the rose-haired man would no doubt take full advantage of.

Marluxia sighed, the smirk falling from his face momentarily. Well, he hadn't expected this to be _easy_ by any lengths of the imagination, but he most certainly preferred Even's anger to something as mundane as fear. Still, the smirk returned in but a moment and he was placing his hands on either side of Even's head, effectively trapping the man there. "Ne pas avoir peur, mon lapin de neige... depuis mon cœur est revenu, je l'ai envie de revenir à notre danse... Je mentirais si je disais que je ne voulais pas te faire de mal... mais je ne veux certainement pas te tuer, mon amour." He said it all in French, knowing Even wouldn't understand a word of it, but he wanted to say it anyway. Perhaps his tone would convey some of the meaning regardless... He struggled to find something to say that Even could understand. "... I find your ire lovely," he finally said. And then he leaned in to kiss him again.

Even tried to hold Marluxia back, and failed. He didn't know why, but it was like a part of him didn't _want_ to hold Marluxia back. That didn't make any sense at _all_ . Or, did it...? Even ran back through their various encounters, arranging what had happened with what the responses had been. Truth be told, Even had _known_ Marluxia was trying to incite his rage, and he had let him. And now he wasn't pushing him away. _Why_ ? His heart hurt again, a strange pang running through him at some of the memories he drudged up. And... he wasn't particularly _pleased_ at the results of his meta-analysis. All those years spent as a Nobody continued to throw a wrench into his understanding of the heart... Love and hate weren't so separate after all, and what better way for Marluxia to get Even to hate him than order his death... Oh, what the heck.

Even grabbed Marluxia by the front of his shirt and reversed their positions, pinning the other man to the corner instead. "Why do you think I never learned _French_ ," he said with a wicked smirk as he pulled back for just a moment, crashing their lips back together a moment later. If this was going to happen, Even was _darn_ sure not going to let Marluxia take the lead.

... _Oh._ Well. This was certainly unexpected. Not at all unpleasant, no no, but very much so _unexpected_ . Marluxia was too shocked to do anything for a moment, but he regained his wits quickly enough. Oh yes, this was more than he could have ever asked for, this was _perfect_ . Naturally he wasn't going down without a fight himself, the battle- the dance- the game they played, that was what made it all worth it, after all. Now that he no longer had to coax the man, he was done being gentle. All of a sudden he was biting at lips and kissing him _ferociously._ His hands found their way to Even's hips, and he moved a knee between the other man's legs.

Even hissed and returned the favor. He slid his own leg between Marluxia's, kissing back as passionately as he was being kissed. After all, he wasn't going to let Marluxia win this little _game_ of theirs. He pulled at the other man's clothes with one hand and fisted his other in that obnoxious pink hair of his, pulling at it mercilessly. _Oh_ how he'd wanted to do that since the first time Marluxia had _dared_ speak out against him. It was petty, yes, but he didn't care. Even had every intention of taking all his built-up rage out on Marluxia, because after all, that was what the man _wanted_ , right?

Marluxia moaned softly at the rough treatment. So that was how it was going to be, was it? Well, that was much less surprising. And really, he would have been disappointed if it had turned out any other way. He pushed hard on Even's shoulders in an effort to flip them again, then returned the hair pulling favor, yanking hard to expose the man's neck. "Bien joué, mon cher," he breathed as he broke the kiss and attacked the freshly exposed neck, biting and sucking relentlessly. Part of him was surprised the skin there was actually warm.

A grunt escaped Even as his back hit the wall again, momentarily stunning him. He let out a cut off cry of surprise as his head was yanked to the side and his neck attacked. Even's knees buckled at the feeling, and he once again pulled at Marluxia's clothes. Part of him wanted to give in to the feeling, but pride blocked it out. He moved his grip on Marluxia's hair to the very back of his head, pulling on it roughly to get the man away from his neck. Even moved to kiss him properly again, not intending to let the man have that kind of advantage. They would move at _Even's_ pace, not _his_. The hand not busy with Marluxia's hair moved down to try and find the hem of Marluxia's top, intending to remove it as soon as possible.

"Mm-" Marluxia let himself be pulled back up, for now. All in good time. When he felt Even fussing with his shirt however he picked up the pace. Immediately he was shoving the lab coat off the man's shoulders and untying the cravat from around his neck. Oh, he certainly was lucky today it seemed. He hadn't expected things to escalate to this level this quickly, but he certainly had _no complaints._ He'd take Even on the cold metal table of his lab if that's what the man wanted. He was being very chivalrous, he thought, after all, he could simply bind Even with thorns and vines whenever he wanted to. And he'd gone though oh so much trouble to fully obtain his interests.

Even shrugged off the labcoat on one shoulder, letting that arm fall away from Marluxia as he removed his arm from the sleeve. He then went back to getting rid of Marluxia's shirt, grabbing hold of it and trying to pull it up and off. Of course, the flaw in that plan was to actually remove it that way he'd have to stop kissing Marluxia, and he didn't really want to give the other man an opportunity to talk. That silky voice of his was simply _insidious_ after all. So instead he moved his hand around the back, slipping under the hem and riding the shirt up as he trailed his hand up the other man's back. As could be expected, his touch was icy, especially since he was in a bit of a _mood_. Part of him wanted to summon an icicle and slash down Marluxia's back with it, but he regrettably had more of a conscious now that he was no longer a Nobody.

Marluxia shivered, hands as cold as he kept expecting the rest of him to be. He didn't mind though, it was biting, but the edge it added excited him so. He began nimbly unbuttoning Even's vest and shirt, though he was annoyed at just how many buttons he was having to go through. It was worth it though, when he could run his hands over the pale skin of the scientist's chest. They wandered, caressing him anywhere they could reach. When one hand passed over his heartbeat it paused, taking in the feeling... but it moved on soon enough. Then his thumbs were brushing over his nipples, teasing him and once again taking the upper hand in the situation.

The kiss broke as Even's head fell back, a moan escaping him as Marluxia began teasing his chest. Taking advantage of the already-broken kiss, the scientist moved to remove Marluxia's shirt, removing the hand from Marluxia's hair to expedite the process. If Marluxia was going to molest him then _he_ was going to molest Marluxia. After all, Even couldn't let Marluxia keep the upper hand, now could he? Once off he discarded the flowery garment to the side, shrugging off the other sleeve of his labcoat in the process and letting it pool behind him on the floor. Oh, this was getting _exciting_ now. All kinds of twisted scientific thoughts ran through his mind as Even's hands moved to explore Marluxia's body, taking revenge for the earlier necking by, well, necking back. The blonde moved to kiss and suck on Marluxia's throat, eager to witness his reactions. Yes, this would _certainly_ be some interesting data he was going to collect...

"That's an interesting way to give someone a physical examination," came a voice from the door to the labs, and Even froze. Oh no, not _now_.

"Ienzo?!" Even asked in horror as he scrambled away from Marluxia, though obviously being in a corner he didn't get far. Belatedly he grabbed at his shirt, trying to pull it together as if it wasn't hanging wide open and he hadn't just been making out with his mortal enemy. Ever bad with words when in stressful circumstances (read: every time Marluxia was around ever), the blonde blurted out the first explanation that came to mind. "I-It's not what it looks like!"

"Why are your clothes off?" the younger scientist asked, staring judgmentally from the doorway as he had been since he first walked in the room. He didn't know why he was surprised, really. People who hated each other cornered each other and took their clothes off all the time. Ienzo still had flip all idea why. He put up with about three seconds of Even's confused sputtering before just moving further into the lab to look for the book he'd been after, resolutely trying _not_ to pay attention to his mom and evil stepfather, as he'd apparently accurately described to Demyx earlier. Now where _was_ that thing? People needed to stop moving his stuff...

Marluxia was grinning, wholly unperturbed by the interruption in favor of reveling in how distraught Even was. He slung an arm over the man's shoulder, pulling him close. "Run along now, Zexion, the grown ups are busy," he said condescendingly. He wasn't trying to be rude by using the wrong name, he simply hadn't the correct one despite it being shouted moments ago. He had been... distracted, to say the least. Still, as amusing as this was he really did want the boy to hurry and leave, his patience wouldn't last very long when he had a disheveled Even to... molest, as Lea had put it.

Ienzo leveled an unamused glare Marluxia's way as he plucked the book he'd been after from the shelf. The glare shifted from the pink-haired man to Even, who based on how red his face was and the fact that he _still_ hadn't formed words was, in fact, up to exactly what it looked like. "If he breaks you Lexaeus will be the one who does the repairs," the silver-haired scientist warned, turning on his heel and heading back to the door. With a careless wave, Ienzo continued, "Just clean up when you're done. Oh, and Vexen, because of this you're not allowed to be angry about the fact that I am now dating Demyx. Bye." And with that he was gone.

Even stared wide-eyed at the door, at a complete loss for words. "Th- Wh-" he stuttered at a normal volume before his brain kicked in properly and he began shouting. "My name is Even! And what do you _mean_ you're dating Demyx?! Get back here, Ienzo!" he called out, attempting to push past Marluxia and follow his protégé out the door to get the answer to his questions. He couldn't just say things like that and walk away without explaining himself!

By the time Ienzo had finished speaking, Marluxia had actually laughed. Oh, this was _too much_ . He covered his mouth with his hand as he calmed himself. Of course, then Even started trying to _leave_ , and he simply couldn't have that. "Où pensez-vous que vous allez, mon cher. Where do you think you're going, we're not done here," he said simply, using the arm already around the man to push him back against the wall.

Even grunted as his back hit the wall, that strange pang running through him again. How interesting, was that his heart reacting like that? He'd have to examine that later. For now he had to track down Ienzo and- Oh, to heck with it. He was frustrated and Marluxia was as good an outlet as any. Wasn't like Ienzo didn't already know now anyway... Even grabbed Marluxia by the shoulders and flipped them around again, practically slamming one of his legs between the other man's as he kissed him, absolutely ravaging his mouth. One of his hands flung back and summoned a wall of ice to block the door; he wasn't going to separate himself from Marluxia now, and he didn't want any more _interruptions_. That hand then moved to the waistband of Marluxia's pants, fingers slipping under it to feel the skin there. His other hand snaked back up into Marluxia's hair, tugging on it just soft enough to not break their kiss.

Marluxia was once again pleasantly surprised by how easy it had been to regain the scientist's attention. And then- _oh._ Marluxia's back hit the wall hard and knocked the wind from him, but before he could catch his breath his mouth was full of _Even._ And then Even's leg all but _rammed_ into his crotch and he let out a long moan muffled into their kiss. Oh, he did enjoy it when he was _feisty._ The shock wore off and Marluxia felt icy fingers slipping into his pants. He moved quickly to reciprocate, a hand sliding down the back of Even's slacks and grabbing at his ass while also pushing their hips together. He ground against him, the other hand tangling in and tugging at blonde hair.

Even ground right back, his hand slipping further into Marluxia's pants to mirror the grope. A savage pride ran through him at Marluxia's moan, and he pressed into the kiss a little harder, biting and sucking on his lips and tongue. He was getting turned on by their activities, which of course was only logical. Still, he wanted to get _on_ with it already, not being a person known for his patience when other people were concerned. The hand in Marluxia's hair left it so he could run his hand over the other man's chest again. He pinched one of his nipples, determined to keep up the advantage now that he had it. Sooner rather than later they were going to have to deal with boots and pants, but that involved breaking contact and Even was _way_ too frustrated for that right now.

Marluxia gasped into the kiss, pausing for a moment. Oh no, Even was actually beginning to outdo him, he couldn't have that. He kissed Even back just as fiercely as he moved to reverse their positions again, trying to pin Even back against the wall. He then redirected his hands to undoing the front of Even's pants, fumbling in his desperation and lack of sight, but he eventually managed and began tugging them down, one hand returning to his rear and the other stroking him firmly. They'd see who'd be gasping and moaning now...

Ever too distracted to prevent it, Even once again found himself with his back to the wall. He kept up with the kiss until Marluxia's hand wrapped itself around his length and began stroking. Much as the rose-haired man expected, Even's head fell back as he let out a long moan, bucking into the other man's hand. His mind blanked for a moment at the pleasure, but he regained his senses fast enough. _Oh_ he wanted the rest of their clothes off _now_ . Even moved to try and remove Marluxia's pants, but looking down he noticed a problem. Those _boots_. Well, not that his own were terribly much better...

Yeah, he had no patience to try and figure out how to deal with those. Without explaining first, the scientist pushed Marluxia away from him. Once they were separated Even glared hatefully at him and ordered, "Remove your clothes." He continued staring expectantly at the other man as he bent down and started removing the remnants of his own clothing, eager to get on with it. Why did so many people wear such complicated clothing? The world may never know. Once they were both fully naked Even had every intention of pinning Marluxia to the wall again and giving his body a much more _thorough_ examination. Although, that phrasing didn't have quite the same appeal to it as it did before Ienzo walked in on them...

Marluxia smirked wickedly when he got _exactly_ what he wanted from the other man. He opened his mouth to speak, but then suddenly he was being pushed away. What? He blinked in confusion. What had Even been expecting then? He had his hands down _his_ pants first after all and- and then Even finally explained. Oh. He looked down at what was left on him: tight riding pants and intricately tall boots. "...Really? And here I thought you'd want me to keep them on," he commented idly, pivoting his foot to examine the shoe at different angles. After all, a boot kink was so common it was hardly even a kink at all. And besides that he thought Even was being a bit ridiculous; he would have been perfectly content carrying on with clothing still on as long as all of the _important_ places were uncovered, which they would have been. They were already having their affair in his _lab,_ there was no need to be so old fashioned. He didn't move to actually remove anything.

Even looked unimpressed for a moment, but that only lasted until he'd finished removing his own clothes. His vest and shirt came off last, and as he was taking them off he gave Marluxia a long look over, smirking contemplatively. "If you wish to put your boots on again afterwards I'd have no complaints, but at least remove your pants," he amended, since the pants were the real issue here. "Personally, I would rather not ruin my clothes if it's avoidable," he added, kicking his garments away from the corner he was rather certain Ienzo would begin avoiding religiously. As much as he hated to admit it, Marluxia really _was_ a looker... Though really that just sparked the icy rage inside him again, adding fuel to the fire. If Marluxia didn't hurry up he was going to pin him to the table and remove the garments _for_ him. Honestly, it was a rather appealing thought...

Marluxia sighed, he still thought it was a waste of time, but Even was insisting. "Comme vous le souhaitez, mon amour," he said as he sat down and began undoing all the straps and buckles and laces necessary to remove his beloved boots. As much as he would enjoy indulging him, putting them back on again would take far too long. He removed them as quickly as possible, which admittedly wasn't very, but paused before he went to discard his pants. Of course he couldn't help but notice Even _leering_ at him. "Enjoying the view, mon cher?" he commented idly. He stood and decided he would make a show of it, sliding the pants off as slowly as he could manage, smirking up at Even the entire time. It could make up for the fact he wasn't going to put the boots back on, he supposed. Eventually they were pooled at his ankles and he kicked them off lightly, standing up straight and completely shamelessly to flaunt his nude form at the other man. He wasn't completely flawless, he supposed, there were a number of scars that littered his pale skin, but to many they added appeal rather than subtracted from it. He ran a hand through his own hair, a few petals falling from it as usual, and grinned beckoningly at Even.

Even smirked at Marluxia, eyes trailing over him hungrily as he stripped. He stared at the other man as though trying to memorize his form, which considering he was Even he may well be trying to do. The scars didn't dissuade him, though he was curious where some of them came from... Any scars Even had were obviously from science experiments gone awry, after all. Save one, but he was sure that one didn't stand out anyway. Spurred to return to the action both to avoid the thought and by Marluxia's beckoning grin, Even stalked towards the man as he admitted, "What can I say? You put on _quite_ the show." The blonde pulled Marluxia to him and kissed him again, more tender than last time but still as hungry. His hands trailed up and down Marluxia's body, alternating between teasingly light and possessively hard touches, fully exploring the body now bared to him. Of course, sooner rather than later Even returned an earlier favor, reaching down to palm at Marluxia's length. If they were going to get on with it they were going to need to get _on_ with it, after all.

Marluxia hummed softly into the kiss. He adopted the slower, sensual pace Even set, caressing and groping and playing with hair languidly as they kissed. Of course, that stopped the second the scientist's hand found his cock- he moaned into the kiss, not breaking it like Even had, and his hands dug into skin where they were. But soon they were moving again. Marluxia hurriedly backed Even back into the wall. One had found his length again and the other traced down the cleft of his ass. Within seconds a small plant had grown around his wrist and was secreting something slimy onto his fingers. Without hesitation one was pushing into Even's entrance, not very fast but not quite slow either.

A pleased smirk grew on Even's face when Marluxia moaned and he allowed him to walk him backwards to the wall. The scientist moaned appreciatively as Marluxia's hand found his length again, but he was unable to enjoy the sensation for long because then Marluxia's finger was inside of him and that was _not_ acceptable. "H-Hey!" Even protested, trying to push Marluxia off of him. "Who said you got to lead?" Because Even was _not_ going to stand for that. Just sit back and let Marluxia have his way with him? Yeah, no, that was _not_ going to happen. He pushed harder at Marluxia, intending to break away from him to find some proper lubricant and not whatever _thing_ Marluxia was using. In hindsight he probably should've been doing that when Marluxia was stripping, but he had been _so_ much fun to watch...

Marluxia was in no way surprised when Even protested. This was something he had expected from the beginning, after all. Still, he wasn't deterred, only amused. He smirked at Even, leaning forward and using his body weight to pin him and prevent him from escaping. "Comment adorable, mon petit lapin de neige. Now, now, did you really think I would let you take me? How cute." He kissed Even on the cheek. "You shall be receiving, mon cher, _I insist._ " And with that he slid the finger the rest of the way in _much_ faster than he had before, then curled and twisted it relentlessly. At the same time he leaned down and sucked on the scientist's neck, lavishing it with attention and surely leaving his mark. He let his hand stray from Even's length to grab at his thigh and try to urge him to wrap his leg around his waist.

The protest died in Even's throat, replaced instead with a series of cutoff moans. The scientist squirmed, and it was clear he was unused to this kind of treatment. Still, Even couldn't find the words to protest, momentarily getting lost in the sensations. He wasn't about to make this easy for Marluxia, however, as evidenced by his complete ignoring of what Marluxia wanted him to do with his leg. Even alternated between trying to push Marluxia away and clinging to him desperately. It had been a _long_ time since he'd slept with anyone, so it was safe to say he was a bit undersexed. That was Braig's leading theory about his anger issues anyway. Maybe he would have an easier time resisting Marluxia if it weren't for that insidious _voice_ of his, stupid French-speaking little... Even's thoughts again fled him as Marluxia brushed something _close_ but _not quite_ inside him, moaning softly and mindlessly bucking into his hand. Sheesh, what a pathetic picture he must make, giving in so easily like that...

Marluxia smirked into the skin of Even's neck as he apparently brushed his prostate. He stilled his finger and began to add a second. And then he leaned up and whispered into the scientist's ear. "C'est vrai, _céder_ , mon amour." He then bit the shell and tugged. And then he rammed his two fingers into the spot he had brushed before. "...You know, I think I'm feeling awfully generous at the moment..." he began, then nibbled on Even's earlobe. "I think I'll make being on the receiving end more fun for you, mon cher," he said somewhat cryptically. And then he dropped to his knees and took Even into his mouth with no warning at all. He didn't think he'd have to bother pinning him if he was doing _this_ . Yes, his silver tongue was good for _many_ things.

Even's body tensed and it was all he could do to not crack his head into the wall when Marluxia brushed his prostate full-on. _Oh_ that felt good... The moan he'd let out at the feeling was practically a whimper. Already his breathing was somewhat labored, though only slightly so. At Marluxia's words, Even fought to get the stars out of his vision and fought to ask, "Wh... What are you..." He didn't manage to form the complete sentence before he was suddenly enveloped in _warmth_ and this time he couldn't keep his head from cracking into the wall behind him. The pain momentarily stunned him, his body relaxing slightly as it forgot the reason it was supposed to be fighting back. Both Even's hands found their way to Marluxia's hair as the blonde struggled to keep his knees from buckling, for more than one reason now. "Nnm... Marluxia..." Even moaned, intending it to have been one of protest but that wasn't how it came out sounding at all. Goodness, he just felt so... He hated himself for it, but for the barest of moments Even contemplated that being on the receiving end really may not be all that bad.

Marluxia hummed appreciatively when Even called his name. He wasn't even inside him yet and he was already calling out for him, how _lovely_. He dutifully sucked and bobbed his head, not minding the hands in his hair at all. He added a third finger and teased Even, inconsistently brushing that spot on purpose just to throw him off. Sooner rather than later he decided that Even was more than well prepared. He pulled off his cock with a wet pop, kissing the head almost tenderly before standing. Taking full advantage of Even's obviously weakened state he spun the man around, pressing him face first into the wall. He used the strange plant to coat himself liberally and lined himself up, pressing the tip to Even's entrance. "Ici je viens, mon amour," he whispered before pushing in, not slamming, but certainly faster than what would have been comfortable for the other man. He moaned softly into Even's ear at the tight pressure surrounding him. "Mmm... Vous vous sentez bien, mon lapin de neige."

Even gasped when Marluxia hummed around him, pressing his head back against the wall. He felt the vibrations through his entire body and _oh_ did it feel good. The hands in Marluxia's hair held tightly, but made no effort to get the man to stop what he was doing. He was _much_ more interested in allowing that particular line of action to continue. Even jolted every time Marluxia brushed against his prostate, his knees shaking with the effort to remain standing. Moans escaped him with nearly every breath, it just felt so _good_...

Needless to say Even was far too distracted to keep Marluxia from spinning him around. The movement left him disoriented, which left him pliable to Marluxia's designs. His hands came up to brace against the wall, trying weakly to push himself away from it. Then that velvety _voice_ was in his ear and the blonde let out a long moan. He _hated_ when the other man did that, but loved it all the same. Feeling Marluxia press against him, the barest of senses came back to him, and Even turned his face to look over his shoulder at the other man with what he tried to be a glare of protest. In reality it looked more like frightened desperation. "M-Marlu- _Aaah!_ " The protest he'd meant to voice failed spectacularly as he felt the other man push into him. It _burned_ , and not entirely pleasantly. Even's head fell back against Marluxia's shoulder and he squeezed his eyes shut, bringing one of his hands up to cover his mouth and try to quiet his moans. He shivered and squirmed some more, trying to get the invasion to feel comfortable. It was simply awful, the way being manhandled like this was turning him on...

Marluxia paused, reaching a hand around to stroke Even while he waited for him to adjust. The other hand moved to pull Even's hand away from his mouth; after all, not being able to hear him _screaming his name_ properly just wouldn't do. "Je veux entendre votre belle voix, mon amour," he informed him. Hey may have... forgotten he was speaking in French, at this point. He tugged on Even's ear with his teeth having expected him to have understood that, and then finally began to move. He _did_ start slow, but his patience was on end and he found himself accelerating rather quickly. He moaned long and low into Even's ear. The man felt _wonderful_. He gracefully stoked the man in time with his thrusts, hand still slick from before. "Si bon, mon amour..." he murmured.

"Ah! Mm..." Even moaned when his hand was pulled away from his mouth, though without understanding what Marluxia said he instinctively bit his lip to try and quiet himself again. That tactic wasn't nearly as effective as his hand had been, but it still kept Even's moans wordless. The man was shaking, bucking helplessly into the pleasure that greeted him in both directions. Being surrounded and penetrated by this level of heat was something Even was unused to purely because of his own ice magic, and slowly he began sweating as his chest heaved for breath. Pride and thoughts of resistance had long since fled him, replaced instead by lust and a desire for warmth as he tilted his head away from Marluxia slightly. It wasn't meant as a show of insubordination, merely a silent request for those warm lips on his skin again. Even's heart was absolutely _racing_ , his body more than accepting of what his mind - had it been functioning properly - would have rejected.

"Comme vous le souhaitez..." he murmured, understanding Even's wordless request. Lips latched onto skin again, biting and sucking and licking over the marks he'd left previously and making new ones. Of course, he noticed the scientist was still holding himself back, so he dropped his hand in favor of tugging on his chin to open his mouth. "Chanter pour moi, mon amour..." he murmured between kisses. If Even thought Marluxia spoke too much before, he was going to find the man even more talkative during sex. And then abruptly he slammed into him _hard._ " _Crie mon nom_ ," he ordered.

Something about the way Marluxia grabbed his chin broke through the haze of desire and kickstarted a portion of his brain as he realized he was being given orders. This was, of course, the portion of his brain ever irritated by the man's penchant for speaking in a language he didn't understand. He probably could've extrapolated some of the words' meanings from their Latin roots if he cared, but, that was if he _cared_ . "I don't... Ah... Nmm... I- _Aaaah!_ " His attempt to reprimand Marluxia was cut short as the man slammed into him, his back arching as he saw stars. But he wouldn't be denied his reprimand, so as soon as he caught his breath he began again. "Ngh... I d... Mmn... I... _French_ ," he finally spat out, glaring at Marluxia. He had a feeling he knew what the man wanted, but he was being stubborn now, so he resolutely waited for the words to be repeated in English. Or any one of the other languages he knew that wasn't _French_.

"Quelle...? ...Oh...!" he said, piecing together Even's broken cries. Had he been speaking French this whole time? He hadn't noticed... how embarrassing. Oh well, it had left Even flustered at least. He continued to pound into him roughly. " _Scream my name,_ mon lapin de neige." Pet names would remain in French- or at least this one would, it simply didn't sound as pretty in English. He bit hard on Even's neck once he had regiven his command in a language he could understand. Surely he had gotten his point across now. Although, Even seemed to be regaining his feistiness... That made him smirk. It would be much more fun to make him _beg_ if he got to break him again.

Even cried out as his neck was assaulted, but it was wordless. His face was completely flushed; it felt _amazing_ , but he wasn't going to tell Marluxia that outright. Even's now-freed hand moved back to brace against the wall as his knees buckled again. "Mm..." he moaned as he shifted his weight to be sure he'd remain standing. A savage satisfaction had pulsed through him when it had become clear Marluxia hadn't realized he was still speaking in French before, and a wicked plan began forming in his foggy mind. "Mm... Ma..." he moaned, tauntingly to his own mind. A smirk formed on his lips as he looked at Marluxia from the corner of his eye, as he ordered back, " _Make me._ "

Marluxia grinned. Oh yes, this was going to be _very_ fun. "If you insist," he purred, shifting his hips to try and find the man's sweet spot again. "Try not to regret saying that too much, mon amour." He bit his ear again. And then the hand stroking Even stopped. Instead, a single finger trailed teasingly around the base and up the shaft, leaving tight, crossing vines in its wake. Even had chosen to be defiant, so now he was going to be _thoroughly_ had before he got his. Of course Marluxia wouldn't have it any other way. His now free hand came up to tease at the scientist's chest once more, pinching his nipples and nails scraping along the skin. All the while he continued to pound into him _mercilessly_ , shifting slightly with each thrust until he found what he was looking for.

"Oh f..." Even breathed out as the vines wrapped around his length and he realized his mistake. Yes, taunt the man inside you who has infinite control of plants, that's a _great_ idea. Even continued to squirm, immediately frustrated by the new arrangement but too proud to beg for it to be changed. It wasn't like Marluxia would've listened anyway. The force of the other man's thrusts left him shaking, scrabbling at the wall for purchase, something to properly brace himself on. And then Even _screamed_ , signaling Marluxia had found exactly what he was looking for. Stars danced across his vision and the wind was knocked out of him for just a moment. He still hadn't cried out the other man's name yet, which would surely annoy Marluxia. Of course, with his mind momentarily clouded by pleasure he wasn't exactly worried about that at the moment. _Oh_ it felt good, if only he could get that _friction_ back...

Marluxia grinned wickedly. "Halfway there, mon cher," he informed as the man screamed. He pounded into that spot over and over now, thrusting into it as hard as he could. With the vines restraining him, it didn't matter how much pleasure built up, Even would be unable to find sweet release. He didn't expect it to take long before he was putty in his hands... although he was vaguely worried he might break down to an incoherency beyond words... It wouldn't do if he was _unable_ to say his name, as satisfying as that would be. He reached up and yanked blonde hair, dipping his head and biting the now bruise-covered neck again- hard. He hadn't intended to draw blood, but he could taste it, so apparently he had managed to break the skin. Oh well, that was what his scientist got for playing so hard to get, he supposed. " _Say it,_ " he breathed into his ear again.

"Marluxia..." Even whimpered softly, also afraid that he'd become incoherent before he could say the other's name. It was, after all, a fairly complicated name to be calling out in the heat of the moment, and there was _so much heat_ . He shuddered as Marluxia broke his skin, a strangled cry escaping him. And with the other man pounding against his prostate with every thrust he was ready for release _now_ , but he couldn't. Even was breathing hard and fast, moans and screams coming with every breath. Some of them tried to form Marluxia's name while others were completely incoherent. He needed it _now_ , if he had to beg for it so be it, but he _needed_ it. "Mm... Ah! Ma... P... Mma... Mar... _Plea-_ Aah..." he tried, his tongue refusing to cooperate. He was so turned on and desperate he was practically drooling, and it was all he could do to keep his eyes from rolling up into his head. Oh he _needed_ it, needed it so _badly_ , but he _couldn't_...

Marluxia shivered, having Even beneath him and _begging_ , no- trying to beg but being _beyond_ that... It was almost too much. "Vous avez fait bon, mon cher." He spoke the French purposefully this time. "Now cum for me, _Vexen._ " And with that the vines shriveled and fell away. He hadn't used the wrong name on purpose; he had only been calling the man 'Even' for half a day, if that, so something more familiar spilled from his lips when he was this... disheveled, he admitted. He was close... Honestly he was glad Even had finally broken, he wasn't sure how much longer he would have been able to last himself, especially keeping all _that_ up, but it had all worked out in the end. His hand returned to stroke him to completion, though he didn't think he was really going to need the aid.

"MARLUXIA!!!" Even screamed as he finally, _finally_ was able to reach his orgasm. His whole body tensed as he spilled hard against the wall, going completely limp the moment he was done. The blonde was completely spent, his mind blissfully blank as he fought to catch his breath. That had been the most intense orgasm he'd ever had in his _life_ , and he was glad it happened when he had a heart to feel it. Had he the sense he might be disappointed in himself for giving in to Marluxia's demands, but honestly that just seemed to be par for the course. Marluxia demanded anger, he got anger. Marluxia demanded he scream his name, well... One thing was certain, Even was going to be _sore_ after this, and idly he wondered if his throat would even work enough to lecture... someone. Someone needed a lecture, but lost in post-orgasmic bliss as he was he couldn't be bothered to remember who.

Marluxia was not far behind him, the feeling of Even's orgasm tipping him over the edge. "Nnnmm- _Vexen!_ " he cried, though the volume paled in comparison to Even's screaming. He came inside him, continuing to thrust through his orgasm as pleasure wracked his body. When it was over, his knees almost buckled, especially with him practically holding Even up as well at this point, but he managed to stay standing. He pulled out, panting, and slowly guided them to the floor, sliding down the wall and pulling Even into his lap. "Je t'aime, mon lapin de neige," he said as he kissed the man's hair. His arms wrapped tightly around Even's waist, having no intention of letting the man leave until the afterglow had good and well faded... not that he was sure Even _could_ in his current state, but there was no harm in making sure. Despite the rigorous activity that had just finished, Marluxia found himself growing cold, what with being completely bare save for the flower still on his wrist and the icy scientist pressed against him. He wasn't surprised, of course Even would make for a terrible blanket, and he would never give the man the satisfaction of complaining.

 

> **Translation Notes**
> 
> Here are rough translations for the french. Some of it is... a little off as its been so long I no longer remember the original intent for the english. Im sorry >>
> 
> _Bonjour, mon amour_ \- Hello, my love
> 
> _mon cher_ \- my dear
> 
> _mon lapin de neige_ \- my snow rabbit
> 
> _Votre rage ne manque jamais de livrer, mon amour_ \- Your rage never fails to deliver, my love
> 
> _Vraiment, je l'ai désiré ardemment pour être à vos côtés à nouveau, mon amour._  - Really, I have longed to be by your side once more, my love.
> 
> _Parce que mon coeur est revenu à moi, la nostalgie m'a ramené ici, mon amour. Vraiment, les jours ont été plus sombres sans toi. Bien que ... je trouve ta colère plus charmante que ton sourire_. - Because my heart has returned to me, nostalgia has brought me back here, my love. Really, the days have been darker without you. Although... I find your anger more charming than your smile.
> 
> _Vous êtes vraiment agissez comme un lapin effrayé, comment adorable_ - You are really acting like a scared rabbit, how adorable,
> 
> _Au contraire_ \- on the contrary
> 
> _Et donc le jeu continue... juste assez, mon amour_ - And so the game continues ... just enough, my love,
> 
> _Mon petit lapin effrayé de neige..._ \- my little scared snow rabbit
> 
> _Ne pas avoir peur, mon lapin de neige... depuis mon cœur est revenu, je l'ai envie de revenir à notre danse... Je mentirais si je disais que je ne voulais pas te faire de mal... mais je ne veux certainement pas te tuer, mon amour._ - Do not be afraid, my snow rabbit ... since my heart returned, I wish to return to our dance ... I would lie if I said that I did not want to hurt you ... but I do not want to kill you, my love.
> 
> _Comme vous le souhaitez, mon amour,_ \- as you wish, my love
> 
> _C'est vrai, céder_ _, mon amour_ \- That's right, give in, my love.
> 
> _Ici je viens, mon amour,_ \- Here I come, my love
> 
> _Je veux entendre votre belle voix, mon amour_ - I want to hear your beautiful voice, my love
> 
> _Si bon, mon amour..._ \- so good, my love
> 
> _Chanter pour moi, mon amour..._ \- sing for me my love
> 
> _Crie mon nom_ , - scream my name
> 
> _Quelle_ \- what
> 
>  
> 
>  


	15. Being Responsible after Sex is Hard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even realizes the repercussions of his actions and also plots the murder of one Demyx.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again Translations at the bottom!

Even willingly let Marluxia hold him, even if he was still too warm. He just simply didn't have the strength to move away. The blonde was still beyond words as Marluxia began speaking in that darn  _ French _ again, but it hardly bothered him. As much as he hated to admit it, it really was a pretty language to listen to, especially from such a velvety voice... Even leant his head on Marluxia's shoulder, trying to catch his breath still. He was exhausted... But something was still bothering him. Was it Marluxia? No, no, as much as the man irked him he was rather pleased at the end result of their coupling, so he was spared his ire for now. Even if Marluxia had called him the wrong name variant. Well, it would be out of character for him to not at least say  _ something _ to Marluxia out of irritation, that was just how they communicated. "Even," he croaked, looking up at Marluxia with hazy eyes. Yep, as expected, his throat didn't want to work right now...

Marluxia chuckled. "Je t'aime,  _ Even, _ " he corrected, humoring the man for a change. His fingers gently combed through long hair, and he lightly nuzzled the top of his head. He sighed contently. He was being far more affectionate than he ought to be, but his inhibitions were considerably lowered in the hazy bliss they were left in. It was fine, and Even was probably too out of it himself to notice, anyway. Or at least he hoped so... He didn't think the man could handle that kind of conversation, not yet at least. He had made himself paranoid now... To save face he added, "My name sounds lovely painted by your voice lost in pleasure, mon amour." The words were taunting, but his expression was still not quite as sharp as usual.

Even returned the taunt with a wry smirk, countering, "Your name is too long and complicated. Pick something with fewer syllables." He didn't mean it, not really. Well, okay, maybe he meant it a  _ little _ , because seriously. Of course, with his luck Marluxia's Somebody name had even  _ more _ syllables and was even more ridiculous... The only comfort Even had there was he knew there was no X in the mix. With a sigh Even resettled and relaxed against Marluxia, honestly he kind of wanted to take a nap... At least he seemed to let the name issue go after that. The glow was starting to fade but he still hadn't felt the need to be outwardly irate to anyone. But he wasn't going to do something so out of character as  _ thank _ Marluxia, either, no matter how absolutely amazing that had felt...

"My real name has more syllables," Marluxia informed, though he gave no indication of what that name was. Perhaps one day, but he didn't quite trust Even with that information yet, and... he didn't particularly  _ want _ to be called by it... It would be too much of a reminder of... "Nous pouvons rencontrer dans la prochaine vie, mon canari..." he mumbled quietly to himself. He doubted Even would question it; he had felt it necessary to say out loud, but was able to conveniently prevent Even from hearing the meaning. Ah... He'd gone and made himself sad now, how unbecoming of him to ruin the mood. He shifted slightly, resettling against the wall and adjusting Even to get more comfortable, trying to push the thoughts away. He ought to be happy, he had gotten everything he'd wanted today, after all. He kissed Even's hair again, but said nothing, which he didn't stop to think might have been odd for him.

Even whined at the knowledge that Marluxia's real name had more syllables. Of  _ course _ it had more syllables. "Forget it, then. Three is hard enough," he whined verbally, apparently content to let the matter drop. After all, Marluxia wasn't the only Somebody he knew who still went by their Nobody name. There was Demyx, and Ienzo frequently-  _ Frick _ . Even cursed and buried his face in Marluxia's neck, muttering an irritated " _ Ienzo... _ " as his only explanation. That's right, Ienzo had walked in on them and then dropped the bombshell that he was  _ dating Demyx _ and then he'd just  _ walked away _ like it was  _ nothing _ . He needed to track the boy down and demand an explanation before things got even more out of hand. Even if he wasn't still somewhat lost in bliss, he wouldn't have noticed the hypocrisy in the situation considering he'd just slept with Marluxia of all people.

Marluxia smirked. Ah yes, nothing like Even's suffering to brighten his mood. And the memory of the incident was amusing as well. Oh how mortifying this must be for his pet. "I would assume it is more common than one would think for a child to walk in on their parents," he said none too comfortingly. He was more than willing to accept any role that might be passed onto him regarding the boy; after the stunt he'd pulled earlier his opinion of him had improved greatly, he hadn't thought he had it in him. And besides, nothing would be more satisfying than turning Even's protégé against him, which was seeming easier and easier the longer he was here.

Even  _ glowered _ at Marluxia. He really, really,  _ really _ didn't want to think about the kind of trauma Ienzo would have gotten had he been just three minutes later. Irritated once more, Even tried to remove Marluxia's arms from around his waist as he sat up straight, intending to pull away so he could go take a quick shower, get dressed, and  _ track that boy down _ . Of course, just sitting up straight made his back twinge painfully, and he knew it was  _ not _ going to be fun trying to stand. But the man had a mission now, and he would not be denied. That boy of his would get the lecture that was coming to him and would  _ explain _ himself, and if he didn't like what he heard he would castrate Demyx.

Marluxia was a little disappointed Even hadn't  _ said _ anything in reaction to his comment, but it was fine. Even sat up and he immediately realized what the man was intending to do... Now that couldn't be allowed- it would involve  _ leaving _ him. As amusing as the encounter would be - and he did have every intention of following - it could certainly wait until  _ later.  _ He snaked an arm around Even's waist and pulled him back down, his other hand combing through his hair and leaving small flowers tangled in the blonde strands. "Où pensez-vous que vous allez, mon amour. Where do you think you're going?" he asked, for once repeating the French in plain English. Well, most of it. He really wanted to see how long it took Even to figure out what something as simple as 'mon amour' meant.

Even grunted and hissed when being brought back down to the floor caused pain to shoot up his back. Yep, standing was gonna hurt. He turned his head slightly to glare at Marluxia again, not actually realizing the flowers were there yet. "I am  _ going _ to take a shower, clothe myself, and then  _ castrate Demyx _ ," he explained, irritated enough that he skipped the whole intended conversation with Ienzo entirely. Still, he didn't  _ immediately _ move to get up again, figuring Marluxia would just pull him down yet again and it would be better to let his backside rest for a moment longer.

Marluxia chuckled again. "I think Demyx's soprano is rather fine without the aid," he commented, momentarily pretending he didn't know the real reason for Even's ire. And then he continued. "Besides... I think that would be quite the disappointment to little... Ienzo." He had paused on the name, but he was fairly certain he was correct this time. He smirked widely as he combed more flowers through Even's hair. He realized this could very well be enough to make the man storm off, but he thought it would be worth it.

"He can  _ deal _ ," Even retorted, still failing to notice the flowers through his ire. He would invariably find them when he took his shower if he didn't notice them before, but for now Marluxia was winning that particular little game. Even crossed his arms and resettled against the wall, pouting in the direction of the wall of ice he'd made. "That card game was bad enough, I have no intention of allowing that boy to be  _ intimate _ with my protégé," he grumbled, temperature falling a few degrees as he whined. Oh no, he was not letting Demyx anywhere  _ near _ Ienzo if he had any say in the matter...

Marluxia only continued to smirk. "You realize he can't remain celibate forever, you know," he responded, mostly just to be contrary; it wasn't like he owed Ienzo any favors. Or Demyx. Well... He supposed they had helped facilitate his stay here, then again, so why not. It would all be to Even's displeasure in the end, so it wasn't like he was going out of his way to do something he wouldn't.

"Like hell he can't," Even responded petulantly. Ienzo would remain his precious innocent darkness-tainted prodigy forever. Okay, maybe there was a  _ little _ bit of conflicting information in that sentence, but he didn't care.

"What happened with 'that card game'?" Marluxia asked, after all his arrival had signified its end, so he had no idea what it was about, just that it had happened, and now apparently that it had involved something scandalous with Ienzo. If Even wouldn't tell him that was fine, he'd find out sooner rather than later; he'd probably just have to ask Lea.

At the question of the card game, Even turned to Marluxia with an unamused glare, about to say 'you were lucky you missed it' when he realized he was talking to  _ Marluxia _ . At that his expression changed to a bitterly amused smirk, instead deciding to explain, "You would have enjoyed it. Its entire point seemed to be trying to figure out how to be as subtly crass as possible." Really, a better explanation probably didn't exist without going into the fine details of the game or personally witnessing it. Even pouted again and added, "If I ever appear to be considering letting a princess of light convince me to play a game with her,  _ slap me _ ."

Marluxia had gone from an amused smirk to a chuckle as Even continued to talk. So little Kairi had suggested a game like that? How fascinating. "I'm sure you must have lost horribly, mon cher," he said, though really he found it hard to imagine Even winning at much of anything that constituted as a competition. But Even was right, it did sound like he would have enjoyed that, if for no other reason than watching the innocence slowly shatter around the room. So Even endeavored to keep his protégé away from even simple things like that. His expression softened quite a bit. "...You really care for that boy as a son, don't you." He wasn't sure if he was saying or asking. He had only been with the Organization for 2 or so years before his demise, so he hadn't seen the depths of their apparent relationship. He had known he had practically raised the boy, but he still didn't think they functioned as any kind of proper family as Nobodies... which was horribly ironic coming from him, given the closest thing to a family he had was... Well, let's just say he had been perfectly at home in the Organization.

Even's expression fell into a reminiscing frown as he stared towards the center of the room. Despite their affair moments ago, Marluxia was still his enemy, who liked to see him suffer, so he wasn't sure he trusted him enough to give him an explanation... Surely he would just use the information against him. But he'd already been made aware of his bond with Ienzo, and he might torment Ienzo more if he  _ didn't _ explain... Sighing softly, Even just decided to go for it, and he'd take responsibility for whatever happened as a result.

"After Ienzo's parents died, those of us who worked at the castle took him in, including myself. Ansem the Wise left the boy primarily in my care. He didn't speak a word to any of us for over a year," he began, fiddling with his hands. "I could tell he was intelligent, despite his silence, so I allowed him to shadow me while I worked. In practically no time he had completely memorized every item in the laboratory and could find anything I wanted for me. I suppose I simply wound up getting so used to his presence the thought of him not being there bothered me." That was as much as Even cared to share at once. He remembered those first few years clearly, he'd clung to them during his time as a Nobody when the memories were all he had. It didn't occur to Even that Marluxia might not understand the exact circumstances that lead to the original six apprentices becoming Nobodies, but that wasn't really something he wanted to go into at the moment. After all, nothing caused his heart to pang with guilt like how he'd failed to protect Ienzo...

Marluxia hummed in thought as Even finished speaking. That was... an oddly familiar tale, he found. There had been many things different with him and Kuja, of course, but he found the similarities enough to empathize. He didn't know exactly how the original members of the Organization had joined, but he  _ did _ know Ienzo had become a Nobody at the young age of  _ eight _ and it didn't take a genius to figure out where Even's mind had strayed to. "Tu as bien fait, mon amour," he consoled, using the language to shield too much sympathy from shining through. Still, he stroked the man's hair gently for a moment, then spoke again, returning to his usual demeanor in an attempt to lighten the mood. "I am sure he is lucky to have such a dutiful mother."

The glare Marluxia received was completely expected and earned. Even wanted to punch that smirk off his face. "Yes, well, this  _ dutiful mother _ has to go  _ castrate his son's boyfriend _ ," Even answered, anger lacing his voice. Once again Even moved to stand, wincing as his back once more protested. It seemed like if anything, the added recovery time had made the pain worse... That was just his luck. Still, he wouldn't be deterred. Shower first, then clothes, then... probably clean the corner...  _ then _ go castrate Demyx. And track down Ienzo to demand an explanation, but that didn't necessarily have to come before the threat of Demyx was removed. Dealing with Demyx first would probably give him some time to stop thinking about thirteen years ago...

Marluxia let him go this time, mostly because he sensed that between the two of them they were just going to get more depressed if they kept going on like they were. He stood with much more ease than Even, obviously less sore since he hadn't been the one mercilessly ravished into a hard wall, although he wasn't uninjured. There was the small wound on his side, the bigger one on his hand that was matted with dried blood, and a few bruises from tumbling around during the foreplay. Still, he was obviously  _ much _ better off than his lover. He held out a hand to help the scientist up- the one with the flower on his wrist rather than the bloodied one, even if it was still a bit slick and sticky... Even would be unpleased to find some of it in his hair now, but he would probably be too distracted by the flowers. "Comme vous le souhaitez, mon cher. I would be happy to help." And by 'help' he meant watch and laugh as this ultimately backfired in Even's face. And by 'would be happy to' he meant was going to do regardless.

Even stared unamusedly at the hand. "I can stand on my  _ own _ , thank you very much," he said haughtily, moving to sit on his knees before bringing one leg up and using it to brace against and push himself vertical. A hiss signified his immediate failure as pain once more shot up his back and he stumbled back down against the wall. Oh he was  _ not _ pleased. But Even was on a bit of a self-imposed time crunch, so with a heavy, deeply regretful sigh he took Marluxia's - disgustingly sticky, as he found out - hand and allowed the man to help him to his feet. At least before their tryst Even had been able to make the man  _ bleed _ . He still found a small, savage satisfaction in that.

"Regarder votre pause de fierté est vraiment belle à voir," Marluxia said as he helped him up. He brought his other hand to Even's waist, unsure if he would be able to  _ remain _ standing. "Can you walk, mon cher?" he asked smugly. Ah yes, nothing like taking a lover to the point of debilitation. He took the opportunity to look Even up and down. There were bruises in more places than one, and his neck was  _ littered _ with hickeys, lovely... A truly beautiful sight to behold.

As always, Even was unamused. "I am certainly going to try," he insisted, trying desperately to ignore the twinge in his back. His legs still felt a little like jelly, but he supposed that was to be expected... He ignored Marluxia's leering and attempted to pull away from the man so he could walk to the bathroom connected to the lab, but he barely made it two steps before he hissed in pain and had to stop. Yeah, he'd pulled something, all right, or...  _ something _ . Regardless of the medical reason he was in pain,  _ Marluxia _ was the reason he was in pain, and his pride refused to allow the man to help him any more than was absolutely necessary. Maybe he should make a detour to one of the cabinets and fetch one of the stronger pain medications they'd made... He had a feeling the normal strength stuff in the bathroom wasn't going to be sufficient. Despite his musings, he continued to slowly try and make his way towards his destination of the shower, bracing himself against the wall the whole way.

Marluxia watched the rather pitiful sight. Honestly, that man's pride was astounding, but that is why he enjoyed ripping it to shreds so. He walked up to him and pulled him off the wall and against himself, then with the hand on the man's back cast Cure. He decided to have some mercy, if for no other reason than to expedite things to the show that had been promised. "Feeling better, mon amour?" he asked, smug smirk never leaving his face. He would give Even pain and he would take it away at his leisure.

Even hissed again, this time in relief as the pain faded to a more tolerable amount. There was still a dull ache, but it was manageable now. "Don't expect me to thank you," he said with a glare as means of thanks. He didn't pull away from Marluxia, instead allowing the man to assist him in walking, perhaps as a more  _ proper _ thank you. Besides, Even had the distinct feeling he wouldn't be taking his shower alone... A soft blush formed on his cheeks and Even determinedly turned his head away, moving forward with much more ease to the bathroom. The more time they wasted the more time Demyx had to do lewd things to Ienzo...

"Perish the thought," Marluxia replied easily. He happily guided the man to the bathroom, indeed having every intention of joining him in the shower. If not to continue to torment his blonde, then to clean himself. After all, he wasn't in the most sanitary state himself, and he did rather pride himself on appearing presentable. Once in the bathroom he took it upon himself to draw the shower, assuming Even would have trouble bending down to do so still. He slid the door aside and stepped in, then beckoned Even to join him. If he was lucky he could convince the man to let him wash his hair and prevent him from noticing the flowers... "J'attends, mon lapin de neige," he said, holding out the same flower-adorned hand as before.

Even resolved to ask Ienzo what 'mon lapin de neige' meant when he tracked down the boy, accepting Marluxia's hand primarily because he didn't want to risk slipping on the floor and injuring himself further. After all, as nice as working with Aeleus was, he could be a little rough when playing doctor... Not that he held it against him. "Must you continue to wear that flower?" Even asked the other man primarily to distract him from his own thoughts. Honestly, its presence had him a little on edge. After all, if he'd been reduced to a practical invalid from just round one there was  _ no way _ he was going to allow a round two to happen. Unwisely turning his attention away from Marluxia, Even turned to look around and fetch the body wash, intending to clean that part of him before his hair. Though he  _ would _ need to wash his hair, apparently, because both of Marluxia's hands were coated in half-dried liquid...

Marluxia looked down at his hand, having more or less forgotten the convenient thing. He smirked back at Even. "Nervous, mon cher?" He stepped close to Even when the man turned around, snaking his other arm around his waist. He held the hand with the flower up before Even so he could inspect it. "A marvelously convenient plant, don't you think? It's native to the world I spent most of my life on, though there are several similar species throughout the worlds that can do the same. Still, I find this flower to be the most lovely..." He leaned in closer to Even's ear, smirk widening. "...It's also an aphrodisiac." Ah yes, if Even could talk forever about  _ science _ then Marluxia could talk forever about  _ botany.  _ Which was a type of science; the irony was not lost on him there. Even would probably be surprised and deliciously infuriated that Marluxia's understanding of science and such was actually quite great, and he knew his way around a lab quite well, actually. He had grown up helping  _ building _ them, after all. And... he belatedly realized the way he had phrased 'the world I spent most of my life on' would give away more information about his past than he intended; knowing that he had been moving between worlds before he had become a Nobody might - well, Even would jump to the worst possible conclusion with him, so would - come off as alarming if noticed... It was a bad slip of the tongue, but he really didn't think he could ever think of Gaia as his 'home world' even if he was born and lived most of his life there. Hopefully Even would be too distracted by everything else he'd said.

Even tensed as Marluxia's arms wrapped around him again. He just kept making that mistake, it seemed. Still, he forced himself to relax as he examined the flower presented to him, scientific curiosity taking over. Even caught the slip of Marluxia's tongue in regards to his apparent world-hopping, but he simply filed it away for later. Blackmail to counter anything Marluxia might want to do regarding Ienzo. The knowledge the plant's secretions worked both as a lubricant and aphrodisiac both did and did not surprise him in the slightest. "Well, that certainly explains some things," Even responded, smirking over his shoulder. Explained a whole lot, actually, though he supposed it was only fair. Even himself was relatively familiar with plants, more for their medicinal uses than anything else, though Ienzo's ability to catalogue such things was much better than his own. Still, Marluxia would likely be disappointed at Even's unperturbed response, the man having relaxed and gone back to beginning to clean himself. After all, Even's dear protégé needed a stern talking to.

Marluxia was, in fact, disappointed, but he didn't let it show. Instead he just let the flower wither and fall from his wrist, its remains washing down the drain. "Alas, we have no time for a second bout, mon amour," he lamented overdramatically, still hoping to find something to grate on Even's nerves. If not his words, then his actions. He grabbed the soap from him and washed his own hands clean and then began to wash Even  _ for _ him, sensually running his hands over the man's body as he did so despite his earlier statement.

Again to Marluxia's disappointment, Even simply smirked and hummed appreciatively, knowing exactly what the rose-haired man was up to. And speaking of Marluxia's hair, it was certainly interesting to see what it looked like pressed flat against the man's head by the water... He decided he liked the man's hair dry better. Even then moved to deal with his own hair, fetching his shampoo and beginning to wash it when he noticed something... off. His expression morphed to one of confusion as he pulled out one of the flowers in his hair and gave it a long, analyzing look. " _ Marluxia _ ," Even scolded angrily, a spark of rage bubbling to the surface. Just how long had those been in his hair?! If he hadn't decided to wash his hair he would've still had them in when he tracked down Ienzo... His cheeks burned with the embarrassment of the potential scenario.

Marluxia did not remain disappointed for long. A wide grin split across his face when the other man spat his name. "Oui, mon lapin de neige?" he said innocently. He continued washing the man as if nothing was wrong, rubbing his hands up his shoulders and over his back. Ah yes, it had only been a matter of time, he knew Even couldn't last long without turning angry at him. He was, of course, a little disappointed he had discovered the flowers before he had been seen by someone else, but there would always be other chances for that in the future. He placed a chaste kiss tauntingly on the man's cheek.

Even grimaced and pushed lightly at Marluxia, warning him, "Put flowers in my hair again and I shall also castrate  _ you _ ." It was an empty threat, but most of Even's threats were that way. He  _ might _ not be exaggerating when it came to Demyx, however. Time would have to tell on that one. Even then went to remove the flowers as quickly as he could from his hair, cheeks still burning in embarrassment. He pretended it was just simple rage, however, and once he got all those flowers out he could wash his hair  _ properly _ . Mentally Even began running through a string of insults directed at Marluxia, though he wouldn't give the man the satisfaction of voicing them.

"Une menace vide, mon cher. You would miss me too much. Besides, I thought they looked quite lovely," he teased, still grinning. He was completely unafraid of Even's threat; even if it wasn't an obviously empty promise, it would be easy enough for him to defend himself. In an attempt to push the man further, he then traced a finger around his neck, leaving a small necklace of flowers behind. He would just keep finding new ways to adorn him until he broke. Besides, he was rather fond of the idea of letting others know who exactly his scientist belonged to.

Even ripped off the necklace as soon as it was formed, irritably insisting, "Would you just clean yourself already? I would prefer not to  _ linger _ ." He then returned to attempting to wash his hair, getting the last of the flowers out and lathering up his hair. It was clear by the look on his face he was still irritated about the flowers, and he would probably remain that way for... ever. It was rare something that irked Even ever  _ stopped _ irking Even, after all. He never should have let Marluxia enter the shower with him, if he was going to act like  _ this _ ... Though, he didn't know what exactly he'd expected...

"Comme vous le souhaitez, mon amour," he said for the... What, third? Fourth time that day? He finally relented, for now, and pulled back, concentrating on cleaning himself for the moment. Honestly it didn't take long- he was mostly just sweaty, though there were still some spatterings of blood and nectre to wipe clean. When he was done he decided he might as well wash his hair while he was here as well, even if he probably didn't need it. He stepped under the water to rinse himself and... Well, he couldn't help himself from harassing the man for too long, so he asked with a smirk, "Do you need help cleaning inside, mon cher?" Honestly, he was surprised Even hadn't been angrier he'd came inside him, though he wasn't exactly coherent at the time.

Even flinched and sent a horrified glare Marluxia's way as he remembered that was a thing he'd need to take care of. "I can handle it  _ myself _ ," he insisted bitterly, cursing in the next moment because soap found its way into the wound on his neck. He'd thought that had mostly healed, but apparently it had reopened in the shower... No matter. Even quickly washed the soap off of his neck, resolutely trying to ignore Marluxia's irritating smirk. Dealing with that  _ issue _ was going to be embarrassing with Marluxia standing there watching him, but it was a little late for modesty... The blonde lingered a little longer washing his hair with the false pretense that he was just overly obsessive about it.

Marluxia waited patiently, leering at Even all the while. He was done himself, and Even was procrastinating, so if he didn't get on with it he'd do it for him regardless. After all, Even was the one who had been emphasizing they rush. "I thought you couldn't afford to waste time, mon cher," he said. His eyes continued to trail over the other man's body. No, he wasn't going to make this easy for Even at all. Besides, wasn't it fair? He had stripped for him, he deserved to enjoy a show as well.

"Yes, and if I am insufficiently thorough and go out there smelling like  _ you _ Ienzo will never let me hear the end of it," Even snapped back, growing more and more anxious as time went on. There was no getting out of it, so he may as well just get on with it... Even rinsed out his hair and made sure all the soap was off of his hands before getting to work. He didn't want another nasty shock like with his neck, after all... Reluctantly Even reached behind him and inserted a finger into himself, wincing and hissing at his muscles' protest. Immediately he could feel Marluxia's seed dripping out of him, and that phrasing made him want to gouge out his own eyes. Even fought to keep his breathing under control as he cleaned himself out as best he could. Obviously it wasn't something he was terribly  _ experienced _ with, but he figured he did a good enough job. Now if only Marluxia would stop  _ leering _ at him like that...

Of course, Marluxia's smirk only grew as he watched the display before him. It was  _ incredibly _ satisfying, to say the least. Once he was done, Marluxia approached him again and kissed his hair. "Vous êtes vraiment belle, mon amour," he murmured and then said louder, "Try not to take too long," before pulling away and finally exiting the shower stall. He dried himself, spending quite a fair bit of time on his hair trying to return it to its usual volume. His clothes were still in a corner somewhere... He didn't wait for Even, leaving the bathroom to go get dressed.

Even glared as he watched Marluxia leave, cleaning off the last bits of his body before shutting off the shower and stepping out himself. He too took a fair amount of time drying himself off, obviously not wanting to make it too obvious he'd just taken a shower. Even left the bathroom once he felt sufficiently dry, but he brought with him a bucket and rag. After all, if he left the corner a mess and didn't clean it up, Aeleus risked walking in and discovering what happened... It was bad enough Ienzo knew. Even set the bucket and rag against the wall while he went to fetch his clothes, intending on putting those on first in case Marluxia wound up getting any  _ ideas _ while he was working. Not a word was offered to the man as he got dressed; after all, Marluxia would probably wind up saying something within the next three  _ seconds _ if he knew the flowery man as well as he thought he did...

"Bienvenue, mon amour," Marluxia said, just as Even expected. His shirt and pants were already on, the former somehow repaired from the small rip that had been caused during their fight. He was tugging on his boots and working on their overly complex fastening mechanisms. Despite the seeming struggle he was having with it in the bathroom, his hair was now once again immaculate. He smirked, as usual. "I see you came prepared," he said, nodding towards the bucket and rag. "You did make quite a mess of the wall, mon amour."

"And whose fault is that?" Even countered with a raised eyebrow. After all, the other man had very blatantly confessed to using an aphrodisiac on him. Even yanked on his underwear and pants before moving on to his boots, leaving his upper body garments for last. "After all, you made quite a mess of  _ me _ ." While it was an embarrassing thing to say, especially because it sounded like something Marluxia himself would say, he wanted to beat the man to the insinuation. Even began putting on his shirt, meticulously rebuttoning it as he waited for Marluxia's inevitable scandalous response.

"Mm... So I did, mon amour," Marluxia purred, delighting in hearing the other man admit to it himself. He licked his lips. Well, if Even was going to start saying things like  _ that _ he was going to have to up the ante. He finished with his boots finally and stood, then walked over to the wall to examine the 'mess' in question. "I wonder..." he began vaguely, gaze shifting from the wall to looking Even straight in the eye. He swiped a finger across the stain, then brought it to his mouth and slowly licked the substance off, never once breaking eye contact. "Mmm... délicieux, you taste sweet, mon lapin de neige." And of course, he smirked.

Even's face turned red as he bristled, staring in shocked horror at Marluxia's actions. "Wh-What is wrong with you?!" he sputtered, roughly the same level of confused as when Marluxia had first kissed him. In his distraction, Even had skipped a button and stuck another in the wrong hole, and when he noticed he hurriedly looked away from Marluxia and sought to remedy the issue. Yep, he should definitely focus on reclothing himself and not the obnoxiously seductive man across the room from him. Darn Marluxia and that stupid smirk of his and his willingness to do  _ literally anything to tick him off _ ...

"Many things, mon amour, many things," he admitted. He was under no delusion that he was a normal person by any stretch, but really neither was Even and he didn't really have the right to scold him in such a way. Not that he minded; he found the reaction quite amusing, to say the least. Even better was how obviously flustered the man had immediately become. He stalked closer to the man and tilted his head towards him, relieved to have the few inches his heels provided once again. "If you behave, next time I'll use my mouth the whole time and swallow it all down, I'm sure you'd like that, mon cher," he purred, and the look he gave just  _ dared _ Even to challenge that there would be a next time.

Even's blush darkened just a shade as he stared wide-eyed at Marluxia, but in the next moment he was knocking the man's hand away and glaring only in his general direction. "W-We don't have time for this now. If you're finished dressing clean the wall, since it's  _ your _ fault anyway," he instructed, though he figured he would probably be ignored. But he needed to get out of here before Marluxia managed to corner him again, and  _ why did he have so many Kingdom Hearts-forsaken buttons _ . Even continued to fumble with his clothing, mentally willing Marluxia to go away and do something useful that wasn't try to turn him on again after they'd  _ just _ gotten cleaned and dressed. If he didn't back off soon Even was just going to stab him with a scalpel and leave him bleeding on the floor while he tracked down Demyx and took his irritation out on the blonde musician.

Marluxia grinned,  _ very _ pleased that the prospect of a later repeat of their affair wasn't challenged  _ at all. _ Honestly he had expected Even to protest a little, but it seemed he already had him wrapped around his finger,  _ exquisit. _ Satisfied with this, he kissed Even on the cheek and said again, "Comme vous le souhaitez, mon amour," and then pulled away, turning his attention to the wall and wiping it clean of any stray bodily fluids. It didn't take long, and soon he was throwing the rag in the bucket and turning to face Even again. "Are you ready to go now, mon lapin de neige?" he asked. He could have assessed this by turning around fully and looking before he asked, but he asked anyway.

Even turned to examine the wall critically as he slid on his labcoat and began tying his cravat. Deeming its cleanliness acceptable, Even relayed, "Just about." He then moved over to one of the various drawers in the lab and began digging through it, pulling out a blue patterned scarf and wrapping it around his neck. He glanced over his shoulder at Marluxia to check his color scheme and then pulled out another scarf, bringing it over to the man and holding it out to him. "Wear this. I would rather certain people not ask  _ questions _ ," he insisted, his expression serious. They would probably ask questions anyway, but he could at least  _ try _ to be discreet.

"Mon cher, you must be joking," Marluxia said, though his expression was more amused than anything. "You do realize that it would be far more suspicious for me to be wearing your clothing, no?" he pointed out. After all, hickeys could come from anyone, no one knew - well besides Ienzo, who there was no hiding the truth from anyway - where he had been. But Even's scarf - in sunny weather no less - undoubtedly came from Even, and was undoubtedly there to hide something. Besides, he wasn't ashamed in the slightest. He knew, though, that it would take a long time to coax Even into accepting a similar point of view on the matter, so for now he humored the man and played along with his secrets. In a way, a hidden affair was... an added bit of excitement to things, so it was easy to indulge, as much as he wanted to flaunt his ownership of the other man.

Even's expression stayed serious. "I am by no means a fool, Marluxia. Only four people in this castle know this scarf belongs to me, and Ienzo will waste no time alerting the other two of our affair to gain sympathy for his relationship with Demyx. However, I am not sure about you, but  _ I _ would rather not find myself with a keyblade through my heart if certain other innocents in the castle wind up asking the wrong questions to their significant others," he explained. He was, of course, referring primarily to Ventus. He'd never admit it but Terra's presence still sometimes put him on edge. If the man's reactions during the card game were any indication, he desired to keep Ven's innocence in tact just as Even himself sought to keep Ienzo's... The more he thought about it the sillier this course of action seemed. But, well, perhaps a part of him wanted to mark Marluxia as  _ his _ property. Of course he'd never admit it. To anyone. Ever.

Marluxia sighed, for once actually visibly displeased with something, though it was more minor annoyance than anything. "Comme vous le souhaitez, mon amour. Si vous insistez..." he said somewhat dejectedly as he took the scarf. Even was being ridiculous, but he didn't feel like arguing about something this mundane. He wrapped it around his neck and frowned slightly as it clashed a bit with his shirt... He was very careful about his appearance, this was not going to last. "If you are going to continue to insist on this, the next time I am in town I am buying makeup," he said flatly. He trailed his fingers over the new garment and spread a smattering of flowers along it. There, at least that was marginally better than before.

Even gave Marluxia a once-over, judging his appearance critically. Well, the flowers  _ did _ make it better, but Even never claimed to be a man of fashion. "I am surprised you don't have some already," he taunted, though hidden in his voice was a certain smug satisfaction at getting Marluxia to actually wear the garment.  _ Especially _ since it clashed with his such carefully chosen clothing. Okay, maybe he just wanted to make his mark a little more than he'd been willing to admit before. Revenge for forcing him to be the bottom. And the  _ flowers _ . Especially the flowers. Turning on his heel, Even's labcoat flared out behind him for a moment as he began to leave the lab, the wall of ice preventing entry to the room shattering away to nothing. "Come. I have a musician to castrate," he instructed, now overly pleased with himself. Knowing Ienzo's schemes, the rest of the castle already knew of their affair anyway, may as well own it...

Marluxia allowed his frown to deepen when Even turned his back to him. He  _ had _ had makeup, and he certainly wasn't embarrassed by that, but he... lost essentially everything he owned, with the exception of his beloved Graceful Dahlia. He did not know what he would do without her, she had been hand-crafted for him when he was  _ twelve _ . Having her still had been his sole comfort for a long time... He sighed and followed Even wordlessly, his mood turning foul at the unpleasant reminder. At least where he was going things were going to be violent...

> **Translation notes**
> 
> _Je t'aime_ \- i love you
> 
> _Nous pouvons rencontrer dans la prochaine vie, mon canari..._ \- We can meet in the next life, my canary ...
> 
> _Comme vous le souhaitez, mon cher_ \- as you wish, my dear
> 
> _Regarder votre pause de fierté est vraiment belle à voir,_ \- Watching your pride break is quite beautiful to see,
> 
> _J'attends, mon lapin de neige,_ \- I'm waiting my snow rabbit
> 
> _Une menace vide, mon cher_ \- an empty threat,my dear
> 
> _Bienvenue, mon amour,_ \- elcome, my love
> 
> _Si vous insistez..._ \- if you insist


	16. Demyx and Ienzo try to Elope and it Works as Well as You'd Expect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Demyx is the bardiest of bards and Marluxia tries to be the mom from Mean Girls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Besides Marluxia's French, this chapter introduces the idea of Demyx speaking a multitude of languages (because you know, bards.) However in this chapter the only one he speaks in that isn't repeated in english or otherwise explained in text is Al Bhed.  
> All these translations are available at the end of the chapter.

 

Meanwhile outside, Ienzo was clutching his freshly acquired book to his chest, hurrying along to find his new boyfriend. The further from the lab he'd gotten the quicker he'd walked, though he'd never broken out into a full-on run. He didn't need to, really; he knew where to find Demyx, at least roughly. Ienzo rushed along through the freshly-restored garden he'd wandered around in his youth, looking about for his blonde friend. Eventually the sounds of a sitar reached his ears, and Ienzo made a beeline for its source. "Demyx?" he called out as he approached, trying to catch the musician's attention.

Demyx looked up at the call of his name, pausing in his playing and smiling brightly when Ienzo approached. "Ienzo!" He grinned, ah, he was just so happy. He had to admit, even if it had just been a short time for the other boy to fetch his book, he had missed him. He was still freshly caught up in the bliss of a new relationship, so he was admittedly pretty clingy... Though, Ienzo hadn't seemed to mind at all. If he did he'd tone it down but... but... He really didn't want to; he was just so happy! How could he  _ not _ want to constantly smother the boy with affection? His smile dropped a fraction when he noticed something was... off. "Is everything ok?" he asked, legitimately concerned. He noticed Ienzo had his book with him, so it wasn't that he hadn't found it... Was there a page missing or something?

Ienzo slowed to a stop in front of Demyx, expression subtly concerned. "No," he answered off the bat, and his voice betrayed slightly more of his distress than his expression did. "I have a dilemma and I don't know what to do," he explained, silently begging Demyx for advice. It was rare Ienzo ever admitted he didn't know something, rarer still when he actively showed his distress. But, Demyx was... safe. Like Aeleus. And Xaldin. Ienzo didn't care enough to correct the names to whatever they should've been because he had a  _ problem _ . The book he'd fetched was still held tightly to his chest, and honestly he was tempted to chuck it over the edge of the fountain to get rid of the reminder of what he'd seen...

Demyx's smile fell flat off his face at the one word answer, and panic rose in him as the boy continued to explain. His sitar fell from his arms and melted into a puddle on the ground as he stood, placing his hands on Ienzo's shoulders. "Are you ok?! What happened??" he asked. He was probably overreacting, but could you blame him? Something had already upset his boyfriend. Ienzo was  _ never _ upset! He didn't... He wasn't fazed by things! What could have  _ possibly _ happened?

Ienzo looked up at Demyx for a moment before looking away, fidgeting slightly. "...Do you remember when I told you that Vexen always wrecked the lab after Marluxia made him angry?" he asked, not elaborating more than that. He should probably just explain what was going on outright, but when he was upset Ienzo wasn't quite as good at talking as usual. Well, honestly, unless he was talking about science he didn't usually say a lot regardless. And this was... Well, he wasn't even sure if it  _ was _ science. It was upsetting. Moreso than he'd allowed himself to admit when it first happened...

Demyx's brows knit together, now confused at trying to guess what might have happened. He really doubted Even would have taken his anger out on Ienzo, so he didn't think it was that... Did something important get broken in the lab maybe? That would make more sense... "Yeah, why? What did he do?" he asked. Unbeknownst to him the correct question was  _ who _ .

Ienzo fidgeted some more, shifting his weight to primarily one leg while still resolutely not looking at Demyx. This was embarrassing to talk about... He should've gone to Lexaeus or Xaldin, more likely Xaldin because as nice as Lexaeus was he was quiet and Ienzo needed someone to talk him through this to calm him down. That was probably why he'd sought out Demyx, Demyx was always so bright and cheery, even if he wasn't necessarily the most adept at social situations... Then again, who was Ienzo to judge. "Well... The lab was a wreck as expected, but... I thought Vexen would be  _ alone _ in there but he wasn't, someone else was there too..." he explained a little more, still too jittery to just come out and say it. He really didn't know why this was affecting him so badly, he'd walked past people in the Organization making out with each other all the time, but just... It was  _ Vexen. _ And  _ Marluxia _ .

Demyx blinked, more confused now, and not really sure where this was going? It must have been something though, because Ienzo seemed to be having an awfully hard time spitting it out... Poor guy. "...Ok, so then what happened?" he asked, urging the other boy on. He felt bad for making him repeat what was obviously bothering him so much, but he couldn't help if he didn't know... Even didn't, like... kill someone did he? Or maybe he was doing some kind of horrendous experiment on them. Really, what the heck could  _ Even _ of all people have done to upset Ienzo like this?

Ienzo fidgeted a bit more, trying to figure out the best words to convey what he meant. What he'd seen was an area of life he didn't really understand all that well, which was probably half of why it was bothering him so much... Finally deciding on what to say, Ienzo looked up at Demyx, his expression completely serious as he explained, "That joke about Marluxia being my evil stepfather might not be as much of a joke as originally anticipated."

Demyx blinked again. Once. Twice.  _ OH _ . Well. Well that explained everything then. His head dropped forward in relief. "Whew, I thought something really bad had happened..." he said, though after he said it he realized it was probably something really bad to Ienzo, after all he was really upset. "I mean! Not that this isn't bad?" he tried correcting, unsure of himself. He smiled up at Ienzo then, deciding maybe it would be better to try and cheer him up. "I mean, it's not  _ that _ bad, right? Even can take care of himself, and Marluxia isn't, like, the  _ worst _ person we know." Then again, he wasn't very high on the list either, but still. "I'm surprised they got together so fast!" He nodded. As far as he knew they  _ weren't _ actually having hate sex before, but hell if he knew what happened in Castle Oblivion... It didn't matter, he guessed. "What matters is that Even is happy!" He grinned. He was, unfortunately, a bit oblivious still to how naïve Ienzo actually was to romantic things - or maybe it was more accurate to say he just kept forgetting - so it didn't register how unsettling it would have been to walk in on them for the boy. He also kinda assumed they'd just been kissing, because he was an optimistic person whose mind did not jump to the worst case scenario, unlike most of the people he knew.

Ienzo kept his eyes trained on Demyx, still seeming confused despite - or perhaps because of - his reactions. Well... He supposed Demyx had something of a point? Really, if he and Demyx weren't together this whole thing probably wouldn't have fazed him at all... In the Organization, people who hated each other would try to kill each other and then kiss and take their clothes off. And then they'd retreat to someone's room to fight some more. He'd never understood the appeal... But Demyx didn't hate him, and they were together and kissed and stuff, so... Well, maybe the hatred was just what got people to take their clothes off. Which he still didn't get. It was kind of grating on his nerves, all the things he didn't know...

But, there was also something  _ else _ that had happened before he'd left... Ienzo broke eye contact, looking down and away as he confessed, "I... also may have panicked when I was down there... and told Vexen about us..." Yeah, that was probably what was  _ actually _ bothering him. He was worried about what Even might do to Demyx in retaliation, even though he had  _ absolutely no right to judge _ because Even was dating  _ Marluxia _ . Were the two of them dating? Ienzo didn't even know anymore. His head hurt...

Demyx's eyes flew wide open. " _ What!? _ " he squeaked, his voice cracking. Suddenly he was pulling Ienzo into his arms and burying his face in his hair "He's gonna kill meeeeeeeeeeee!" he whined. And he wasn't sure how literal that statement was. "It's not fair! He gets to date captain flower power! Why can't he just leave us alone!" he lamented. Oh, this was bad. This was very bad. What were they going to do? As soon as he found him he was  _ dead _ . His first instinct was to, as always, flee, so he found himself suggesting, "Can we elope to Atlantica, please???"

Ienzo blinked as he found himself suddenly wrapped in Demyx's arms. The action was surprisingly soothing... Even if Demyx was completely freaking out. Well, at least he was as if not more distraught than Ienzo was... To be honest that made him feel a little better, more in control because he was the less distressed of the two. Okay, think Ienzo, time to save your boyfriend from an icy death. And then Ienzo found himself blinking as he very legitimately considered Demyx's question. "...Are there books in Atlantica?" he asked, once more sounding calm and curious. It was fascinating, really, how quickly a simple hug from Demyx and a rather ridiculous show of an overreaction had calmed him down...

Demyx was blinking in confusion again. "Uuhh... I dunno it's mostly underwater..." he said. Sadly he realized while it was a great place for him it probably wasn't a great place for Ienzo... Hmm... What worlds had music and water and books? And science. Ienzo would probably be sad without science... His homeworld used to be like that, but it was weird now, so that wouldn't work, hmm... Port Royal maybe? He didn't think Ienzo would be fond of the nigh constant violence though... Agrabah was too dry, he would have a heart attack if he had to stay in Halloween Town... He pouted. This was hard. "...I don't know, maybe we could move to Sora's world, that place seems nice and like it would have books and it has an ocean..." he finally settled on. It was the best thing he could come up with. He didn't stop to think about the fact they were apparently seriously considering running away together.

"Let's go," Ienzo said, smiling up at Demyx. Oh yes, he was  _ very _ serious about this. He really was worried that Even would seriously harm his boyfriend, and Ienzo had grown very attached  _ very _ quickly to his musician. They would probably have to move quickly, they may not even really be able to go back to their rooms to pack their things... But that was okay. Half of the things Ienzo owned he kept in the pocket dimension he summoned stuff from anyway, and they could always get  _ new _ things. The scientist didn't have all that much munny to his name, but he supposed he could work as a repair man if he had to, he was smart and good with his hands... He would miss Dilan's cakes, but Sora lived on those islands at some point, so there must be cakes there too, right? They'd make do.

Demyx looked at Ienzo in shock. "Wait are- are you for serious??" he asked, flabbergasted. He didn't give him time to answer though. He kissed him on the lips happily and then was crushing him to his chest again in a bear hug, oblivious to Ienzo's wince and slight smirk. "Ienzoooo~" Ah, his beloved wanted to run away with him. It was just... so romantic. Yes, they could go to Destiny Islands  _ right now  _ and- wait... He suddenly deflated at his realization. "We don't have a way to get there!" he whined. Corridors of Darkness were dangerous now, and they didn't have their coats even. It wasn't like one time would kill them but... He really didn't want to put Ienzo in any kind of danger... He sighed heavily. So he was gonna die today after all...

Ienzo vanished the book he had away to hammerspace so that he wouldn't have to worry about carrying it or having it squish against his chest. But, then Demyx brought up a good point... Ienzo wasn't afraid of the darkness, he'd spent almost his whole life enveloped in it, but to see Demyx's light fade would be such a shame... Quickly, Ienzo's mind ran through all the possible methods of world travel, discarding all the options that were unavailable to them. Which was most, but not  _ all _ . "The gummi ships!" Ienzo suddenly announced, excited as though he'd just had an idea for an experiment or had a breakthrough in one. "Sora has an excess of parts in the hangar, if we hurry we could probably construct a ship of our own!" he continued, heart rate rising from the excitement. Yes, that could work, it would put them even shorter on time but Even could only  _ see _ hearts he couldn't  _ smell _ them so he'd have a harder time trying to find them somewhere he didn't expect them to be and they should probably get moving sooner rather than later or Even was going to find them and then all this planning would be for nothing and he should probably stop thinking in run on sentences but he was thinking too fast and too excited to really  _ care _ .

Demyx's eyes lit up again. "Ok!" He wasn't sure if he would be much help, but Ienzo was super smart so he would definitely be able to build one right? Right! He pecked Ienzo on the lips again and grabbed his hand, then began to run off in the direction of Cid's hangar. Oh god, they were actually going to do this, weren't they? Hoooooly shit. He was- This was just so  _ exciting _ and everything was happening so fast! They'd only been together for a few hours and now they were eloping! He- Wow, maybe they were going too fast... but... no no no! He didn't care he wanted to be safe with Ienzo and live in a cute Island cottage on the ocean full of books and instruments and life would be perfect and nothing would be wrong ever.

They arrived at the hangar and snuck in. Demyx looked around, but he really couldn't make sense of anything... He looked at Ienzo. "So uh... what do we... do?" he asked, hopelessly lost. It was all going to be up to Ienzo now, he really didn't have a clue...

Ienzo lifted some pieces from a shelf and examined them, poking their rubbery surface. "Fascinating..." Ienzo mused, the adrenaline from their plan to elope burning down to a duller scientific curiosity. "It was primarily Xehanort- er, Xemnas' Somebody, who studied these... The rest of us helped, of course, but I was mostly busy with... other pursuits," Ienzo explained, ever talkative when science was involved. He left out just what those 'other pursuits' were, knowing they would likely seriously disturb Demyx. "The blocks have the unique characteristic of forming completely different vehicles and gadgets when arranged in different orientations. They are truly fascinating... It would seem the hangar has them stored and labeled in some kind of order, we should snoop around and see if there are any guides or blueprints for us to follow. That would drastically expedite the process of constructing the ship..." Ienzo kept mumbling ideas and theories, planning out loud as he lifted and replaced various different gummi blocks. He was very clearly distracted, and it was possible he didn't even realize Demyx was still there.

Demyx  _ tried _ to follow but he... didn't understand a lot of what Ienzo was going on about. Still, he was really cute when he got excited about something like this, he enjoyed listening to the other boy talking. Right, anyway, he did think he understood about the blueprints, so he would attempt to contribute to the cause that way. He started wandering around the room looking for something that looked like 'blueprints'... Yeah okay most of the things in here confused him, but he was looking for paper right? Right? Maybe it was on a computer or something though... Uugg... He rummaged around trying to put things back in their place and avoid getting in Ienzo's way, but eventually he thought he found something! He pulled out a binder that looked like it had different specs for different ships, perfect! He beamed. "Hey Ienzo! Will this help?" He bounced over to the boy in question and handed him the binder, hoping he was right that he had found something useful.

Ienzo took the binder and flipped through it, smiling at its contents. "Yes, these will work perfectly. We just need to pick one and locate all the pieces necessary for its construction," he praised, kneeling down and laying the book on the ground so he could examine it better. It was one of his habits left over from when he was a child and most of the books in Radiant Garden's castle were half as big as he was or larger. Obviously he hadn't been able to hold them up when he'd wanted to read them. Ienzo hummed as he tried to figure out just which one of the blueprints would be the best for them to build. The schematics were there but he wasn't sure what the pros and cons of each design were... Some of the language was regrettably foreign to him. Ienzo had never built a spaceship like this before, but... How hard could it be? Easier if he could actually decide on one of the designs to begin construction…

Demyx watched eagerly over Ienzo's shoulder. Ironically, he could actually read most of it, but he wasn't aware Ienzo was having trouble. Somewhat arbitrarily he pointed at a page. "I think that one's cool!" he said. He had no idea if that was helpful, but he wanted to try and contribute somehow. Ienzo was working so hard for this... for  _ them _ ... It just warmed his heart. He wound up resting his head on top of Ienzo's; he couldn't help it, he wanted contact and to be close while they were doing something so  _ exciting _ .

Ienzo glanced up but didn't move his head, since he didn't want to dislodge his boyfriend. The boy smiled up at Demyx as he agreed, "All right. I don't see why not." That matter settled, Ienzo folded the binder over to ensure the page they wanted would stay on top, carefully dislodged himself from Demyx's grip, and stood to go fetch the blocks they would need. "Hmm, let's see... We need three- no, four, wait, how do you read this..." Ienzo started strong but then quickly became confused, turning the blueprint to try and figure out what they actually needed. They may have the blueprints, but that didn't mean he could actually  _ read _ them, as much as he'd hate to admit that... This was going to be a lot harder than he'd thought, and they were running low on time before Even found them... Well, he'd just have to do the best he could and... pray they didn't break apart when leaving the atmosphere... Hmm...

Demyx tilted his head as he looked at what Ienzo was confused about. Really the idea that Ienzo was confused baffled him, and he didn't know what he thought he was going to do if Ienzo couldn't figure it out, but he looked anyway. And... huh? "You mean that?" He pointed at the symbol Ienzo seemed to be referring to. "You were right the first time. Can you not read it?" he asked, honestly confused. Again, how did Ienzo not know something? And how was it something he did know? What?

Ienzo blinked up at Demyx. "You  _ can _ ?" he asked, as honestly surprised that Demyx could read the blueprints as Demyx was confused Ienzo  _ couldn't _ . Ienzo turned his attention back down to the blueprints, humming as he tried again to read them. "Gummi ship technology was developed on this world the last year before I was a Nobody. There was never any need to learn to read this type of blueprint," he explained, seemingly much less traumatized by his transformation than his caretakers. Their research had eventually panned out, but mostly he just drew designs that amused him and gave them to one of the others to turn into Heartless. He did recognize some of the symbols from those experiments, but the construction process was  _ very _ different. Demyx didn't need to know about all of that, though. After a moment he looked back up to Demyx and held the binder out slightly. "I may not be able to read the blueprints, but I do understand the physical characteristics and procedures necessary to slot the blocks together properly. If you tell me what to do, I can do it," he finally relayed, and he was... excited. Honestly, Ienzo had expected to do all the work, but this was something Demyx knew that he  _ didn't _ . They could work  _ together _ . On  _ science _ . Subconsciously a bright smile began to work its way onto Ienzo's face.

The look on Ienzo's face  _ slew _ Demyx. It was an arrow right through his heart. He had never seen him this  _ happy _ before and it was because of something  _ he _ did and, and...! He leaned in and kissed him. He couldn't help it. How could he not!? He pulled away after a moment, grinning back at Ienzo just as brightly. Oh he was so lucky. "Ok!" he agreed excitedly. He was just as happy as Ienzo on the prospect of being able to actually help the other boy to this degree. "They have writing like this in Zanarkand- it's a little different but it's probably only like, a subcultural dialect divergence, I don't think it should get in the way or anything!" he rambled, not really noticing that he was using big words that people generally didn't expect him to use. But he knew a lot about languages, and again, he wasn't as dumb as he came off, he was just really hyper and had a short attention span and was kind of a scaredy cat...

Ienzo happily kissed him back when their lips met, handing over the binder in the meantime. Demyx's optimism and joy were contagious, it seemed. Honestly, Ienzo had almost forgotten why they were illegally in Cid's hangar attempting to build a gummi ship in the first place. As the other boy began rambling on (and he'd be thoroughly researching this 'Zanarkand' at the first opportunity he had), Ienzo's expression brightened even more. Objectively he knew Demyx wasn't as unintelligent as many of the members of the Organization made him out to be, but actually getting to hear him use that intellect... Overcome by an urge usually felt by Demyx, Ienzo leant in and kissed him again, a little longer this time. He couldn't comprehend how only half a day ago he'd seen the boy as nothing more than a vaguely amusing tool he could use for grunt work in the lab and annoying Even.  _ Even _ . Right, they had a ship to build. Pulling back, Ienzo smiled sincerely up at Demyx and asked, "All right, so what do I do?"

Demyx  _ melted _ into the kiss. This was the first time Ienzo had kissed him and not the other way around. At least he thought it was. He was pretty sure. The last few hours had been kind of a blur. It had been a long day. Regardless, he was very, very happy. And then disappointed when Ienzo pulled away, and then immediately happy again when he saw the look on the other boy's face. He looked down to the blueprints excitedly and began to read them off. "Alright! Well it says here first you're gonna need..." And he read out to Ienzo the instructions the best he could. Which was pretty well, he was right about the minor differences not getting in the way too much. He had to sound out some technical gummi ship jargon he didn't actually know, but Ienzo understood what the words meant even if he didn't. This was just... perfect. They'd build their ship together, and then run away together, and then live happily ever after...

And for just a while longer everything  _ was _ perfect. Ienzo dutifully followed Demyx's instructions, fetching pieces and slotting them together with meticulous precision. A machine couldn't have been more exact. Some of the pieces were a little on the heavy side, but he managed after a while, especially if and when Demyx helped move them. The building process was time consuming, but with all the excitement time stopped being a concern. Ienzo, for one, seemed much more interested in exploring the depths of Demyx's knowledge. He truly lamented that they hadn't spent more time in the Organization together... Well, they would just have to make up for all of that lost time moving forward. And there would be  _ plenty _ of time together on their island. And yes, he was already calling it  _ their _ island.

But that was a destination they would never reach. The hangar door swung open and Ienzo froze; they'd been caught. It was okay, surely it was just Cid, they could talk him down and work something out and keep building their ship and it would be fine and- Oh, who was he kidding, he could smell Even and Marluxia from the doorway. They were out of time.

" _ There _ you are," Even greeted bitterly, radiating an icy rage. The amount of time it had taken to find the two of them had left the blonde scientist in a  _ horrifically _ foul mood especially since they'd had to rely on  _ Marluxia's _ magic to find them. And spending all that time toting Marluxia around had not exactly been Even's definition of fun. Ienzo quietly backed away from the ship and situated himself defensively between Even and Demyx, his eyes trained on his caretaker the whole time. This was bad, Even was angrier than he'd anticipated him being...

Demyx's eyes went wide in horror. Oh no.  _ Oh no. _ It had all been too good to be true, in the end... Instinctively he cowered behind Ienzo but... No. He couldn't do that, he couldn't hide behind him like this; if he wanted to be a good boyfriend he needed to  _ protect _ Ienzo! So he... He mustered up every shred of courage he had and stepped in front of Ienzo, stretching his arms out and staring at Even defiantly. His whole body was visibly shaking, but... but he had to be brave, for Ienzo. "Ienzo can make his own decisions!" he declared.

Marluxia stood behind Even, observing for the time being. Honestly, he was a bit impressed; it was no secret that Demyx was a notorious coward after all. For now he would just have to let things unfold... If things got out of hand he might intervene... or maybe he would join in and help Even, he wasn't actually sure. It depended on how things went he supposed.

"He can also speak for himself," Even countered coldly. So the little scaredy cat had grown a spine, hm? That was certainly an interesting revelation. He would deal with Demyx later, for now a certain silver-haired scientist needed a lecture. Turning his attention to Ienzo, Even raised his voice slightly to be heard better as he asked, "Are you aware I have been searching Hollow Bastion for nearly  _ two hours _ now looking for you? You cannot simply say such things without context then walk aw-"

"Go away."

Even blinked, thrown off by Ienzo's sudden interruption. He raised a questioning eyebrow at the boy, asking, "I  _ beg _ your pardon?" The  _ nerve _ of him, interrupting him like that! He should just walk over there and drag the boy back to the castle that instant, but the look on Ienzo's face stopped him.

"I don't want you here," Ienzo elaborated, staring unblinkingly at Even. His eyes were wide and his posture stiff, radiating a danger rarely seen from him. Unprompted, Ienzo continued, "You smell like him. I don't like it."

Even frowned. This was strange behavior, strange behavior indeed. Other than the wide eyes Ienzo's face was a perfect mask of emotionlessness. So he'd closed his heart to Even's words already... And his sentences were noticeably short and simple. Truth be told, he'd seen this behavior from the boy before, but not for over a decade now. It was the incident in the garden all over again. Even didn't particularly like to think back on that day, even if it was how they learned Ienzo was capable of powerful illusion magic... But the last time it had been Braig on the receiving end and not him. Still, Even was more than aware of what this behavior meant; Ienzo was  _ terrified _ . Of him. The man paused, debating just what to do next. He would have to step carefully now... Turning his attention away from Ienzo, Even forced his anger down so it would be less present in his voice as he asked Demyx, "So, what exactly were the two of you getting up to in this hangar, hm?" He glanced sidelong at the half-completed spaceship, wondering if that was left over from Sora's excursion or if the pair had been trying to formulate an escape. He sincerely hoped for the former.

"Uuuuhhhh..." Demyx began nervously. Even wasn't going to like the answer, not at all. And... And Ienzo was acting weird! Bad weird! It was scary! He wanted to hug him and make it better but Even would  _ kill him _ if he did that now. He actually... felt bad. Ienzo and Even and Aeleus were a family, he hadn't meant to come between them; he had expected Ienzo and Even to fight, but this was a lot scarier and more serious than he was expecting and... They were just going to run away, they probably shouldn't have done that... but that's what he always did, so he didn't really think about it... "We were... building a ship?" He shrugged, for some reason trying to play it off casual as if that would somehow dissolve any part of this awful situation.

Marluxia remained silent, his face perfectly unreadable. Like Demyx, he had expected a fight to break out, but the typical shouting between a parent and a rebellious teenager, not...  _ this _ . He didn't know Ienzo well, so he didn't understand what the boy's behavior actually meant, but he could gather at least that the boy was at his limits in some form or another. And then Demyx spoke... oh dear. They were actually trying to  _ elope? _ For once in his life he might actually have to try and calm Even  _ down. _

Even's eyebrow twinged as Demyx gave the wrong answer. But his gaze passed over Ienzo as it snapped back to Demyx, and he forced himself to keep his voice even. "And just how were you constructing this ship? Surely not by trial and error, and I know for a fact Ienzo doesn't know how to read gummi ship blueprints," he challenged. Really, he wanted to properly reprimand the both of them for being impulsive idiots (partially because that was  _ his _ job, as Marluxia could attest), but the tension in the room was too thick to do that. The fact that Ienzo had given in to such an impulsive plan was worrying enough; he  _ knew _ Demyx would be a bad influence on him, especially if they got in a relationship. Ienzo was still so naïve when it came to matters of the heart, no matter how much time he'd spent studying it...

"I could read them," Demyx answered a little more confidently, somehow convinced that proving to Even his competence might... help, somehow. "I read the instructions and he put the pieces together..." he explained then looked down sadly and spoke softly, "We were building it together..." His arms finally fell to his sides again. He had been confident just a moment ago, but now he was sure this would all upset Even for some reason. He didn't get it. Ienzo was happy, they weren't... doing anything... Okay they were running away and that was a little extreme, but they wouldn't have if Even wasn't being so scary in the first place! It wasn't fair...

"Is that so..." Even mused thoughtfully, closely mirroring Ienzo's trademark thoughtful pose. He glanced back at the ship; he'd studied the gummi blocks intimately when they first appeared on their world, and he knew enough from the Heartless experiments to know just from looking that what they'd built so far was sound. By hand, as well, if he was correct... And they had been building it together, with Demyx giving the instructions... Well, that explained everything, then. There was only one course of action left to him now to stop Ienzo from running away from home. A smug smirk grew on Even's face as he looked back to Demyx, saying, "Well, it would appear you have a modicum of intelligence after all. And here I was beginning to think you were a lost cause."

Even turned to face Demyx fully, letting his arms drop back to his sides, and he could  _ feel _ Ienzo's gaze on him. Carefully, now, Even, don't mess this up... "The two of you will dismantle this ship at once, as these parts do not belong to you and I will not tolerate stealing under my roof. We will then return to the castle where you, Demyx, will be given an extensive amount of homework I expect you to complete within the next week. Fail to meet my expectations and you will be dispatched immediately, do I make myself clear?"

Some of the tension drained out of Ienzo immediately, replaced by shock. Was... Even giving Demyx a chance? He wasn't going to kill or attack him right there, he'd said that much outright. But... Ienzo was confused. Even had been so  _ angry _ and now he was... angry, but not angry. Normal angry, safe angry. Smirking and making empty threats. Ienzo's expression drifted back to a pure neutral mask, unsure what to feel and not wanting to express any of it. It was too soon to count their blessings...

"Uhh... ok...?" Demyx said, very confused and still kind of scared. Even had seemed to have calmed down, that was a good sign right? And Ienzo was calmer now too... but... No he was definitely still scared, no kinda about it. It didn't feel like he could trust this, so he... he'd have to try and find out if things were really okay... But if he was wrong bad things would probably happen... Carefully, timidly, he began, "...So you're not um... gonna kill me for uh... you know..." For lack of being able to form the words at the moment, he reached behind him and gently took Ienzo's hand. He braced himself, free hand twitching to summon his sitar expecting to be immediately attacked for the action.

While Demyx had been speaking, Even had begun walking back to the hangar door so he could stand watch while the boys dismantled the ship they'd built. On his way, Even smirked over his shoulder at Demyx and said cryptically, "Oh,  _ killing _ you was never the plan." That alone seemed to shock Ienzo into showing at least a little emotion, which indicated to Even the boy had been legitimately afraid he was going to outright kill Demyx. Which, he supposed he couldn't blame the boy for, since he'd been more irate than normal that day... Still, it wounded him that Ienzo would think so lowly of him, that he would actually consider killing something that brought him such joy as the look on his face when he'd walked into the hangar. Before then he'd thought Ienzo saw Demyx as nothing more than a shiny new toy... Oh how things changed in the span of a few hours.

Demyx gulped and squeezed Ienzo's hand at the cryptic threat. Still, for Even wasn't that basically saying... it was okay? Was everything all right now? Were they going to be okay, and Ienzo going to be able to keep having his family? "I promise to take good care of your son, sir!" Demyx blurted out awkwardly, standing rigid. He'd wait for Even's reaction to  _ that _ before actually moving to dismantle the ship like he asked... Well, not that he would be much help with that, he didn't want to break any of the pieces... but he could carry them back to the shelves and stuff...

"You had better," Even answered as he leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms. "After all, that is roughly half of your assigned homework." The shock on Ienzo's face at that sentence was worth it. Oh, Even still didn't  _ approve _ of their relationship, not by a long shot, but there were worse former Organization members his protégé could be dating. Like Lea. Or Larxene. Or as much as he absolutely loathed to even consider the possibility,  _ Marluxia _ . Ienzo  _ had _ tried to warn him, he didn't really have a right to be angry about Demyx when he was sleeping with his archrival.

Ienzo still wasn't quite back to normal, but at least he wasn't frozen anymore. He looked at Demyx and tugged on his hand, silently urging him to come help him take apart their ship. It was a process that would break his heart, because he'd so wanted the life they'd planned on a whim, but... Maybe they had jumped the gun a little bit... Even if they didn't go now, there was always the promise of someday. Ienzo wordlessly began taking apart the ship they'd built with the same meticulous care as when they'd first built it. They probably had the munny to pay for any damages, but he really didn't want to... Ienzo wished he and Demyx could have a moment alone together, or that Ienzo could just be alone at all, but that wasn't an option right now. He could retreat to his room when they made it back to the castle...

Demyx let himself be pulled along by Ienzo, but he was smiling brightly once again. He had, effectively, actually managed to gain Even's blessing... or well, as close to a blessing as Even would ever give anyone probably. But it was good enough for him. What was not good enough, however, was the fact that Ienzo was still upset by everything. He looked so heartbroken, even though they were going to still be together... He must have really wanted to go to that world and live together with him... The thought made him both happy and sad at the same time. He smiled softly at his boyfriend and rubbed his back, speaking quietly. "Aw, cheer up Ienzo, it's not so bad. We might not be able to live there, but maybe we can visit sometime with Sora! What really matters is... we get to be together, right? Home is where the heart is and all that." He would have liked to kiss him, just on the cheek, but he knew he couldn't push his luck that much with Even...

Ienzo paused his work to focus on Demyx speaking. When he finished, the boy offered Demyx a weak smile and a nod. He was getting better, slowly, but he'd really gotten himself worked up before. Having a heart made things so complicated... He could study all he wanted and never understand until he personally felt it himself. Ienzo was... probably going to have to talk with Even about things, things neither of them really wanted to talk about. But relationships were confusing, and stressful, and what he had with Demyx was so alien to him he'd been willing to cross the universe to keep it safe. Maybe Even had realized that and that's why he'd backed off... He didn't want to go ask.

Even, meanwhile, was busy forcing down the sparks of irritation Demyx giving Ienzo attention caused. It was... difficult to accept, that Ienzo was growing up, especially when in reality his heart was so young. Even moments ago, he'd acted like a child whose parents were threatening to take away the child's favorite toy for being bad. Likely he'd have to have private conversations with both parties, but trying to get Demyx alone away from Ienzo was going to be a task. Perhaps better than anyone, Even knew Ienzo's heart was particularly delicate, and it had to be treated right. Not that he was apparently capable of doing so, if he'd gotten so angry he'd frightened the poor boy... There weren't a lot of things that came remotely close to scaring him, and Even wasn't terribly pleased to be added to the list. This had certainly been some day... Even still blamed that light-forsaken card game.

Now that everything had finally settled, Marluxia spoke. "De sorte que vous êtes réellement capable d'agir comme un adulte mature, je suis étonné, mon lapin de neige," he deadpanned. Apparently Even was a decent parent after all. Needless to say he was surprised... but it was all probably for the best. He didn't want to be losing too much attention to teenage drama, and this encounter had not been nearly as amusing as he had been hoping. Apparently, Ienzo and Even do not simply bicker, they also  _ fight _ .

On the other side of the room, Demyx could not help but overhear. His nose scrunched up at the end of the sentence, and he blurted out confusedly before he could think better of it, " _ Your snow bunny???? _ "

Marluxia blinked at the outburst, turning his head to the blond and asking quickly, "Tu parle français?"

Demyx was thrown off by the question, and was also still just generally confused because really,  _ snow bunny??? _ "Oui. Euh... eh bien, sorte de... la plupart du temps?" he said. He was being honestly humble though, he had understood every word perfectly, but he always seemed to lack the confidence to believe his understanding was completely correct.

Marluxia paused for a moment, then smirked; a bad sign for everyone involved. "Fascinant. Eh bien, si vous avez besoin d'aide avec quoi que ce soit... mature, je serais heureux de vous aider. Ma neige lapin serait probablement réellement vous tuer s'il a eu vent de cela, mais vous les garçons ont besoin de quelqu'un pour vous donner des conseils en la matière," he offered. This was entirely to cause Even suffering at some point in the future, of course. He trusted things would calm down properly in a couple of days, and thus using Ienzo's relationship to harass the man would no longer be crossing the line. He could give himself a bit of a head start on the matter, though.

Demyx blushed. "Uh... thanks?" he said awkwardly, looking away. "Je ne pense pas que des thats va se passer dans un avenir proche si..." he amended. He honestly believed that, and he was fine with things the way they were anyway. He was happy to take things slow... unless it wound up bothering Ienzo of course, but he didn't really think that was going to be the case. Really Demyx just wanted to cuddle and eat cake...

"Aussi, je vous serais reconnaissant si vous avez gardé vos traductions au minimum. Ce serait gâcher le plaisir, vous voyez." Marluxia narrowed his eyes a bit in warning at that, it really would spoil his fun. Though he supposed he would be willing to let Demyx give Even a few translations to get on his good side.

"Got it..." Demyx frowned a bit. Marluxia was really mean to Even. Especially after what just happened. Like- obviously he was just trying to be the 'cool dad' to eventually rile the guy up, but it would be  _ his _ head if that happened, not Marluxia's! That wasn't fair... He didn't want to be used as a scapegoat, but he didn't think he was gonna be able to avoid it... He pouted. And those two were supposed to be  _ together _ now?? What the heck! This was as bad as Axel and Saïx... Why didn't anyone he know enjoy cuddling like a normal person??

Ienzo watched the conversation go down while Even sputtered for words. Oh yes, that was the kind of anger Ienzo was used to from the man... "Is that what you've been calling me?!" Even finally got out, blushing slightly from the embarrassing nickname. He was already two steps away from the wall and irate. Thankfully he didn't lunge at the man so Ienzo could get back to work...

But... He didn't really want to get back to work. And now that Even's attention was distracted, he could at least  _ whisper _ to Demyx. "...This is why I thought you hated me," Ienzo explained as he looked up at him. Every person he knew who hated each other, now  _ including Even and Marluxia _ , wound up using their hatred as a method of flirting with the other party. As Demyx was probably aware, there was a certain lack of healthy, stable relationships amongst the members of the Organization, certainly none of them romantic. Despite potential evidence to the contrary, he didn't actually think Xemnas and Saïx were an exception so much as Xemnas was just extremely careful so he didn't get killed.

Marluxia just smirked up at Even. Well, the cat was out of the bag now, or rather the rabbit, so he might as well have some fun with it. "I call you many things, mon amour, mon cher, mon  _ lapin de neige, _ " he said smugly. "I thought it suited you." His smirk grew into a grin, goading the other man on. " _ Mon lapin de neige, _ " he repeated again. As an afterthought he added, "...Though I would have said 'rabbit', not 'bunny'." As though that would make any difference to Even.

Demyx looked between Ienzo and the strange arguing couple. "...Ooooooohhhhhh," he whispered back. He put 2 and 2 together quickly and it all made sense. Of course, Ienzo was literally raised without a heart in The Castle That Never Was, the only relationships he saw were suuuuuper messed up ones like Axel and Saïx and...  _ this _ . No wonder they had so much miscommunication earlier. Still, he was a little surprised he hadn't gotten a better picture of how this stuff worked from all the books he read, but he supposed he just never read the right kind of books... If Ienzo read any fiction, he certainly didn't imagine it having a lot of romance... Hmm... "Yeah, no. That's not normal. We're normal. No one we know is normal. It's kinda unhealthy..." he whispered back. Well, if he had to teach Ienzo what the true meaning of love was, he was more than happy to take on the task! It was really cheesy, but he was a cheesy guy, so he didn't care.

Even glared, his anger level rising once more. He could tell he was beginning to catch Ienzo's attention again, and in an effort to keep from once again spooking the boy he elected to leave the situation. But Marluxia was coming  _ with him _ . "Outside.  _ Now _ ," he ordered, under the pretense of causing less property damage if asked. He would hopefully not need to repeat himself.

Ienzo's attention had strayed to Even and Marluxia again, but soon enough it returned to Demyx. Where it should be, part of his mind added. He blinked slowly at the blonde, absorbing the information that what Ienzo had considered abnormal was, in fact, the norm. "...I see..." he offered in response, tentatively moving to get back to his work. He kind of wanted to get back to the castle now, if for no other reason than he didn't want to drag Even's corpse all the way there. He may not understand the actual terms 'top' and 'bottom', but he knew Even was not going to win any of his fights with Marluxia. Ever.

"Comme vous le souhaitez, mon amour," Marluxia said, giving no resistance. After all, he would also rather be without the company of the children... or anyone for that matter, but outside was a public place, so he would have to be patient. He followed Even out of the room, looking forward to the ire he was used to receiving.

Demyx watched the two adults go and once he was sure they were out of earshot he gave a sigh of relief. "They're gone!" he announced. Mostly it just meant they could relax- having Even watch them was really stressful, but it also meant... He leaned over and kissed Ienzo on the cheek no less than 5 times, and gave him one peck on the lips somewhere in the middle. "Please don't be said Ienzo," he said, able to speak freely now. "I'm sorry all this happened..." He looked down a bit sadly, but he still retained a small smile. "It was my fault, I was the one who suggested we run away together... but..." He looked up, smiling more brightly now, and took one of Ienzo's hands in both of his. "Really, I just want you to be happy. And even though he's really scary I want Even to be happy too, cause he's your mom and stuff. I'm just glad we get a chance to be together..." And then all his excitement returned, and he was rocking on the balls of his feet. "And maybe, we can ask Sora if we can use his spare parts and make a ship anyway! 'Cause it was really fun building one with you. We couldn't use it to run away forever, but we could still visit all sorts of places! There are a lot more places I'd like to visit than actually live- Oh! And we can go to Atlantica! I bet your tail would be so pretty!" He was rambling at this point, really he just wanted to see his boyfriend smile, and he thought if he kept talking about happy things that would happen.

Ienzo's expression slowly brightened as Demyx rambled on. His joy was contagious, infectious in a way he had no desire to resist. Yes, that was right, Sora could be convinced of almost anything, and surely Even would let them travel the worlds if Ienzo made a good enough case that it was for science. Which it was, technically; science of the heart counted, right? And he could probably find all kinds of rare materials to bring back to the lab - his lab, not  _ Marluxia's _ lab, Ienzo was very quickly going to move his research out of that one - for his experiments while they were out... "We'll visit Atlantica first, then," Ienzo answered, a hint of excitement staining his voice. It was less overt than when they'd made plans before, but Ienzo was being more rational than before. Wanting to say the next part before Even caught him making the offer, Ienzo continued, "And if you need any help with your homework - Vexen wasn't kidding about that, by the way, you should see what he gave Larxene before we departed for Castle Oblivion - I would be more than willing to lend you my aid. After all, he didn't say I couldn't help, which means I can argue it is not against the rules he set." Honestly he was still anxious that Demyx's homework was going to be impossible to complete within the timespan of a week, but... Well, there was no point getting worked up about it before they were presented with evidence it would be too difficult to handle. It would work out. Things would be fine.

Demyx brightened when Ienzo finally did. He beamed when the other boy agreed to go to Atlantica with him. "Yay!" he cheered, then kissed Ienzo on the cheek again. Then Ienzo explained about the homework. "Ok!" he agreed eagerly, the image of them cuddled up together spilling over books making him extremely happy. "I'll leave it to you, Professor Zexy!" he declared, letting the old nickname he had only ever used in his head and his diary slip out again. He kissed him again and he was just- he was  _ so happy _ Ienzo had finally cheered up. Things were all going to be fine now.

Ienzo smirked at the nickname, amused and not annoyed at it. If anyone else dared call him that they would regret it, but it had a certain appeal coming from Demyx's lips. And of course, he had no complaints about the frequent kisses. He playfully nudged the other boy on the arm and chastised, "Come on, we have work we need to do. Carry these back over to their storage locations." Ienzo then returned to dismantling their ship, this time without the sting of sadness. It may be goodbye to their ship for now, but not forever. One day.

"Whatever you say!" Demyx chirped. He did as he was instructed, carrying the blocks over to the indicated area. Everything was fine now. He was happy, his adorable little scientist was happy again, everything was great. The incident that just happened was already no more than a mostly forgotten unpleasant memory. He was a bit less helpful and doing more just carrying things around than when they were building it, since they didn't really need to read the blueprints to take the thing apart. But that was ok. He started humming merrily as he worked - a musician at heart after all - half dancing around the hanger to his own idle tune. Yes, he was in a good mood now.

The dismantling of the ship took probably a little longer than it could've, since on occasion Ienzo would pause his work to watch Demyx for just a moment, a smirk playing on his lips. Always when the other boy was facing away, of course, and Ienzo always returned to work before the other could notice him staring. There would be time for flirting and distractions later when they were back at the castle and didn't have to worry so much about Marluxia and Even fighting outside. He warned the man he wasn't going to play doctor if Marluxia wound up breaking him... A soft frown found its way onto his face again. No, Even would be fine. Hopefully. Eventually the last of the blocks were dismantled. "That is the last of them," he relayed to Demyx, carrying the final piece back himself. His voice carried a note of reluctance as he said, "I suppose we should go rejoin Vexen and my evil stepfather..."

Demyx looked around the hangar to see if they had missed anything, and then joined Ienzo at frowning at the mention of the boy's parents. "Right..." He wasn't really looking forward to it. Yevon only knew what they'd be doing out there... He took Ienzo's hand again and began pulling him along. He'd already received the okay for hand holding, so he wasn't scared Even was going to attack him for it anymore, and Ienzo would probably need the added comfort. He pouted and added before they quite made it to the door, "They might be grown ups but you're more mature than the both of them combined." Well, if anything this had all just proved Ienzo was perfectly capable of acting like a child; what with them deciding to just  _ run away _ but Demyx ignored that.

Ienzo offered Demyx a wry smirk as he allowed the blonde to pull him along, answering, "Oh, believe me, I am aware." Even was perhaps the most childish person he knew... Well, no, maybe that was Sora. It was a tough call. Still, they were technically the 'grown ups', so as much as Ienzo hated it he and Demyx had to pretty much do what they said... Not that Ienzo didn't have every intention of twisting the situation to suit his needs.

Before they even made it out of the hangar the sounds of battle were clear. Ienzo sighed. He didn't know what he expected, or why he was even remotely surprised, but here he was... Stepping out of the hangar, without even looking in the direction of the actual battle, Ienzo called out, "Would you two just get a room already?" Honestly...

Even jumped and pushed away from Marluxia, dismissing his shield when the boys left the hangar. Whoops, he'd gotten caught again... At least it didn't seem like Ienzo had immediately gotten spooked again. Even cleared his throat and straightened his clothes, saying, "Ah, yes, there you boys are. I take it you are finished dismantling the ship, then?" He received only an unamused glare from Ienzo as his answer. Walking briskly past Marluxia before the man could convince him to do  _ things _ again Even continued, "Very well, then we shall return to the castle and I shall assign Demyx his homework." He very much  _ had _ been serious about the homework, after all.

Demyx wore a ridiculous expression that was something of a cross of shock, repulsion and incredulousness. Why was he even surprised? And then he frowned at the reminder of the homework. Well, it wouldn't be... too bad right? The more Even mentioned it the more it scared him. "Alrighty then," Demyx said and immediately began tugging the other boy away from the scene to spare them both from the older pair's nonsense.

Marluxia was a bit disappointed, but he had been expecting this to happen. He stroked the blade of his scythe and carefully examined her for any damage before finally dismissing her. He turned and watched the short conversation, then approached Even and placed an arm around his waist as if they were a normal couple. "Froid comme toujours, mon cher," he said. He would have to remember to be somewhat careful about what he said in front of the musician... though honestly it wasn't much of a deterrent. "Shall we?" He smiled, but the smugness showed through anyway.

Even tensed, pushing Marluxia away from him and storming off. He had no intention of letting Marluxia do something like walk through town with his arm around his waist. He glared over his shoulder at the whole group as he passed them all and took the lead, insisting, "Hurry up. I have things to do today and I would rather not dally." One of those things  _ probably _ included Marluxia, but he wasn't going to say that in front of Ienzo. Even had no desire to discover if his protégé knew that particular euphemism after all.

Ienzo just sighed and moved closer to Demyx, stepping in time with him. For his own sheer amusement and for something to do that wasn't paying attention to the 'adults' he tried to match their gaits, Ienzo stepping with his left foot when Demyx stepped with his left foot, Ienzo's right with Demyx's right. It was a different pace than normal, but that was part of what made it... fun. This was fun, right? Right. After everything that had happened today Ienzo had to doublecheck that his emotions were in fact the emotions he thought they were...

Marluxia was, of course, unfazed by Even's rejection, and Demyx was thoroughly amused by Ienzo walking it time with him; they were like a marching band! They traveled back to the castle in relative peace. Surprisingly. Once they were back though... It was probably unwise, but  _ maybe _ they could escape their fate. He gently tugged Ienzo and tried to tiptoe down a different hall as they walked behind Even. It wouldn't last forever, but they could hide in one of their rooms for a little while...

"Je ne voudrais pas le faire si je vous étais, Demyx," Marluxia warned. Even he wasn't entirely sure if he was helping them or dooming them by bringing attention to their attempted escape. He turned his gaze back to Even, he wasn't sure the man would properly notice what the boy was trying to pull regardless. He might just yell at him for speaking in French again.

At the sound of Marluxia saying Demyx's name, Even stopped walking forward and turned towards the other blonde, raising an eyebrow as if to say 'you really intended to try and pull that again?' He otherwise ignored the escape attempt, since it appeared Ienzo hadn't gone for it anyway. Or maybe he had and the Demyx and Ienzo they were looking at were just illusions now. It wouldn't be the first time Ienzo escaped him in such a way. "The two of you will wait for me in the library," Even instructed, his tone leaving no room for argument. He would have preferred Demyx wait alone in the library, but he had a very distinct feeling trying to separate the boy from Ienzo right now would not work in his favor.

"Yes sir..." Demyx said as he slumped over. He then began tugging Ienzo in the direction of the library. It would be okay right? Ienzo liked books right? So Ienzo would be happy in the library. Still, his march was that of a man being sent to the gallows.

"At least he's letting us wait together..." Ienzo muttered as they trudged off to the library. He'd never felt so anxious about going there before.

"That's true!" Demyx said, smiling. Once they arrived Demyx looked around. He hadn't spent thaaaaat much time in here... Okay he kind of had following Ienzo around like a lost puppy, but he had been paying attention to Ienzo and not his surroundings. The architecture in here was kinda pretty, at least. "So.... Now what?" he asked, looking at his boyfriend. Waiting for their doom to return was going to be fairly agonizing...

Once they were in the library, Ienzo pulled Demyx along in the direction of the table on the upstairs balcony. "There's a table and chairs this way, he probably expects us to wait there..." he explained, even if he wanted to rearrange the shelves and hide in his favorite corner. He could show that to Demyx later, but for now it was probably better to just wait for Even to bring their doom with him. The man could be awfully vindictive regarding those he didn't like, after all, and it would be so easy to get rid of Demyx by giving him an impossible task and writing it off as having given the boy a chance when really no chance had been given... Well, Ienzo wouldn't stand for that. If he had to start seeing Demyx only in secret, so be it. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that, though...

Demyx let Ienzo guide him up to the table. He sat down in one of the chairs, but rather than letting go of Ienzo's hand he tugged and pulled the boy down into his lap, wrapping his arms around him and nuzzling him. Well, their time of peace would be short, but might as well make the most of it, right? He kissed him on the cheek. "You're the best Ienzo. Le meilleur!" he said, mocking Marluxia's constant use of French. Then again, Ienzo seemed to be really impressed he could read those documents, so maybe... "Das beste, 最高の, 최고, den beste, лучший, As fheàrr, el mejor, الأفضل, il migliore, was yea erra oure," he rambled off in as many languages he could think of at the moment. Ienzo would be impressed with him right? Honestly he didn't quite speak half of those as fluently as he did French, but it was enough to just repeatedly call Ienzo the best.  "E drehg E's eh muja fedr oui..." he added in a language he was almost certain Ienzo couldn't understand, blushing a little. He had no idea he was copying Marluxia's penchant for secretly saying nice things the other couldn't understand.

Ienzo stared up at Demyx in wide-eyed fascination as he flaunted his language abilities. With how the Organization had treated him, this felt like Ienzo was discovering a trove of secret knowledge, something no one else knew. Something not even  _ he _ understood fully, because in all his research there were a few languages Demyx spoke in he didn't understand, but he was positive the translation had been flawless. Any concern he had about their proximity when Even found them again fled in favor of appreciating the knowledge being presented to him. Just listening to Demyx say those things in so many different languages, without even a moment's hesitation, was enough to leave him wanting to kiss the other boy. He held himself back, though, not making a move until he was sure the other was done talking. After all, he didn't want to miss a word. Once he was sure Demyx was done, Ienzo brought a hand up to the back of his head and leaned in to kiss him, delighting in the little thrill that ran through his heart. How had he gone so long only barely tolerating Demyx's presence when this was what he'd been missing out on? Ienzo blamed the loss of his heart. No matter, this new one he'd be sure to take full advantage of...

Demyx hummed into the kiss, blushing a little more. Well, that had apparently worked waaaaaay better than he thought it would. He hugged Ienzo tighter to him and pressed his lips a bit harder to his, deepening the kiss. Everything they had shared up until that point had been fairly chaste, which he didn't mind at all, not even a little, especially when it always seemed to make Ienzo so happy, but right now he just... really wanted to get his feelings across. To let the other boy  _ feel _ how much he cared about him. It was like this was just another language for him to profess his affection with. Everything bad that happened was quickly forgotten, all that mattered was the beautiful, intelligent boy in his arms and that he was never going to let him go.

Ienzo hummed happily in return. Really, he was just so honestly  _ happy _ ... He wasn't sure he'd ever been so happy in his whole life. Like, objectively. Well, maybe that time he'd stolen and eaten a whole cake, but this was... different. He could feel how much Demyx cared about him, had heard it in his multilingual professions, and it was  _ exhilarating _ . Ienzo would have been content to kiss him for a while longer, a  _ long _ while longer, but the scent of approaching snow snapped him back to his senses. T-minus thirty seconds, he'd gotten too distracted. Ienzo broke away from the kiss, explaining, "Vexen," as he patted the arms around him to convince Demyx to let him go. This was a secret they had to keep, at least for now, though even that was a bit exciting. Once Even was gone again they could return to what they'd been doing, or just work on their homework (yes  _ their _ homework, Ienzo wasn't letting Demyx go through this alone), but for now they needed to temporarily part.

Demyx blinked in confusion when the other pulled away, but understood the one word explanation perfectly. "Right...!" he said, reluctantly letting Ienzo go so he could move to being not in his lap... He sighed, but he was so warm and comfy! This sucked. But it would suck a loooot more if Even caught them kissing. It was stupid. Like, shouldn't it be obvious that they'd kiss? Why did it matter so much!? It wasn't like they were doing anything dirty,  _ unlike him and Marluxia.  _ Okay he didn't actually know if they had done anything dirty, but like, after what Marly said to him they probably had. Was  _ that _ what Ienzo had walked in on? Poor guy...

Ienzo was in his own seat next to Demyx and had properly smoothed out his clothes and expression to pretend nothing had ever happened by the time Even walked into the room. He watched as the man carried over an impossibly large pile of books and dropped them with a thump right in front of Demyx. Ienzo frowned; there were so many, and they were so large... Even Ienzo himself would have had trouble reading them all in one week, and someone who wasn't as fast a reader as himself might have trouble reading even  _ one _ in a week. This was as bad as he'd expected...

"Here is the second half of your homework," Even announced, looking down at Demyx with a smug grin. The stack of books was impressive, yes, and he'd meant to bring more but this was all he could carry. It would be all right, though, the smaller number wouldn't affect his plan. "I expect you to study these tomes faithfully for the next week. As I said before, if you fail to meet my expectations you will be summarily dispatched. It would be in your best interest not to disappoint me," he instructed, pleased smirk never leaving his face. He then turned his attention to Ienzo, saying, "Ienzo, I would like to speak to you alone later on. Perhaps after dinner." Even didn't wait for a response before turning and heading out of the library, leaving the two boys to their fate.

Demyx whined loudly as Even left. "This is impossible!!!" he protested, though he knew it wouldn't do him any good. He slumped forward and head-desked with a loud thump. He was going to be forced to read for a week and then he was going to die. This sucked. He'd rather fight Sora again... He slowly sat up and pulled the top book off the stack, inspecting it and trying to find out what it was about. It was a good thing Even didn't know the extent of his linguistic capabilities, otherwise he was afraid none of the books would have been in English and then Ienzo wouldn't have been able to help... He felt bad about that too. He didn't want Ienzo to suffer for his sake. But he liked reading, right...? And besides he didn't really want the other boy to leave his side...

Ienzo hesitantly raised a hand and reached out to rub Demyx's back. That was reassuring, right? "...Cheer up, Demyx. It might not be as bad as it looks..." Ienzo tried to console his boyfriend. Something had struck him as strange about what Even had said, but he would have to mull on it later. Right now there was a gigantic stack of books Demyx needed to read by this time next week... Could've been worse, he supposed, at least the deadline wasn't the  _ end _ of the week. Ienzo examined the book Demyx pulled off the top, and frowned when he found it was in French. Now Ienzo was glad Even didn't know about Demyx's linguistic capabilities... A possessive part of him hoped no one else ever did. From the title it looked like it was a book on... flowers? Wait a second, Ienzo remembered this book...

"I remember this book," he alerted Demyx, repeating his mental revelation out loud. He took the book from his boyfriend's hands and began to flip through it. "This is a book about the medicinal use of flowering plants, most of the ones in the garden are in here. I learned French so I could read it," he explained, the memory clear as the sky on a sunny day. Ienzo had run many an experiment using this book as a guide... He smirked as he fondly recalled, "I had to stop Vexen from throwing it out, he was always frustrated that he couldn't read it. You would think he would have an easier time since he speaks Latin..."

"That's great!" Demyx perked up. "If you've already read it then it will go faster!" he cheered. He set the book down and opened it. "Ok where are the important parts, we can't afford to waste time!" he asked, then looked up at Ienzo with a determined smile. He was suddenly feeling a whole lot more optimistic about this, maybe it might actually be possible after all!

Ienzo hummed as he tried to recall, thinking back to his childhood days. "You can certainly skip chapters 12 and 9, those have plants that we either have no access to or have just proven completely useless for actual experiments. Since the restoration of the garden I think we may only have flowers from chapters 1, 5, and 13, we could always go wander the garden to double check..." he mused, speaking quickly. Yes, they could focus on those chapters first, come back if they had more time...

Demyx nodded. Only three chapters? That was great! He eagerly turned to chapter one and began reading. He paused to comment on the last thing Ienzo said. "I'd really like to go to the gardens with you!" he said with a bright smile before turning back to the book. And then he paused again, thinking of something. "Oh! You should check the other books to see if there's anything else you know!" he suggested, and then once again went back to reading. It was a little hard... There were big sciency words that were a little out of his league sometimes, but he got the gist well enough. If he had a serious problem he could just ask Ienzo! Since the other boy had read the book before and all...

Ienzo nodded and hurriedly examined the spines of the pile of books, trying to see if he knew any of the books. He... knew all of the books. Which wasn't really a surprise, given that he'd at some point read pretty much every book in the entire castle multiple times, but he  _ knew _ these books. Honestly, he felt a little violated because he knew for a fact some of these books had been stored in his  _ room _ . Although that just made him even more certain of the conclusion he was very quickly coming to. A soft smirk, almost dangerous, formed on his face as he double- and triple-checked the names to be sure he was right. Ienzo had  _ thought _ it had been a bit odd that a scientist would give such vague instructions and not quantify anything like what exactly his expectations even  _ were _ . And thinking back, Ienzo came to the conclusion that they probably didn't even have to have Demyx read all of them, certainly not all to completion, as long as he put forth the effort to try... 'Study faithfully' was a lot different from 'memorize every word', after all. So that was Even's scheme. Ienzo was almost proud.

"I'm familiar with many of these books, I should have no problem assisting you with any of them," Ienzo relayed to his boyfriend, forcing his expression and voice back to the vague excitement of before. He'd keep the secret for now, since it wouldn't hurt to pretend the threat had been real so Demyx wouldn't slack off. Honestly, it wasn't hard to go back to that excitement, because there was no way Even could have expected Ienzo to  _ not _ put the pieces together, which meant he wasn't going to try and break them apart... Well, he probably still would, but only in a normal motherly 'my baby isn't allowed to grow up' way. At least, he thought that was normal... Wasn't exactly like he had a lot of life experiences to speak from, after all. The Organization had been weird.

Demyx's eyes lit up. "That's great!" he said. Perfect! This would go much faster now. Excited, he leaned over and pecked Ienzo on the lips. They had a chance now! Of course, he had no idea what was actually going on, so he was still a little terrified, but it would all work out in the end it seemed. He went back to reading smiling brightly, his feet kicking under his chair. Yes, things would be fine. And he would get to spend the whole week with Ienzo. He shifted, leaning over and resting his head on the other boy's but positioning himself so he could still see the pages. Yeah, this wasn't so bad…

> **Translation Notes**
> 
> ~French~
> 
> _De sorte que vous êtes réellement capable d'agir comme un adulte mature, je suis étonné, mon lapin de neige,_ \- So you are really able to act like a mature adult, I'm amazed, my snow bunny,
> 
> _Tu parle français?_ \- you speak French?
> 
> _Oui. Euh... eh bien, sorte de... la plupart du temps_ \- Yes. Uh ... well, kind of ... most of the time
> 
> _Fascinant. Eh bien, si vous avez besoin d'aide avec quoi que ce soit... mature, je serais heureux de vous aider. Ma neige lapin serait probablement réellement vous tuer s'il a eu vent de cela, mais vous les garçons ont besoin de quelqu'un pour vous donner des conseils en la matière,_ \- Fascinating. Well, if you need help with anything ... mature, I would be happy to help you. My snow bunny would probably really kill you if he got wind of it, but you two need someone to give you advice on the matter,
> 
> _Je ne pense pas que des thats va se passer dans un avenir proche si..._ \- I don't think that's going to happen in the near future if ...
> 
> _Aussi, je vous serais reconnaissant si vous avez gardé vos traductions au minimum. Ce serait gâcher le plaisir, vous voyez_ \- Also, I would be grateful if you kept your translations to a minimum. It would ruin the fun, you see
> 
> _Froid comme toujours, mon cher,_ \- cold as always my dear
> 
> _Je ne voudrais pas le faire si je vous étais, Demyx_ \- I would not do that if I were you, Demyx
> 
> ~Al Bhed~
> 
> _E drehg E's eh muja fedr oui..._ \- I think I'm in love with you...


	17. The Designated Angst Corner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ice cream and rhythm games ensue.  
> Riku and Roxas find a literal corner and commiserate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Sorry for the huge wait. My coauthor and I are going to try and start getting things up with more regularity again. Life was pretty hectic- I even moved, but things are settled now! Thank you so much for being patient.

Meanwhile, in Disney Town, everyone was slowly reconvening in the middle of town. With Vanitas gone, the Unversed population diminished quickly, much more so than it ever had 13 years ago. The danger had mostly subsided, though many were wary that the enemy might still be lurking in the shadows... Fortunately it seemed like they really had retreated for the time being.

Riku noticed when the scents of the enemy vanished from the world and he and Sora finally stopped running. Riku also could tell Ven was still _on_ the world, so things seemed to be okay... As far as he could tell everyone was still alive, so they had managed to come out victorious... sort of... They walked back towards the square, the whole time still holding hands. Riku didn't notice with all of the stress, and Sora probably just didn't care.

The large group that had been confronting the Replica arrived back first, looking for the others since they had witnessed Vanitas' announcement of retreat and mostly confident Ven was okay since the dark boy seemed upset and they weren't together still. Aqua had found Terra and Ven before they met with the main group; brief assurances that Ven was okay without going into any real detail to spare Ven of the reminder were given. Terra never let Ven out of his arms, knowing Aqua of all people wouldn't judge them anyway, and really, judgement was the least of his worries at the moment. He'd let him down if he asked but... he'd like to think that wouldn’t happen anytime soon.

When the Wayfinder Trio finally arrived at the square Naminé smiled. "Ven! You're okay!" She ran up to meet them halfway. She really had been worried about her new friend. Lea opened his mouth to share a similar sentiment, but found himself just staring. And there Terra was, carrying Ven in his arms like some kind of knight in shining armor. Sure what happened had been scary but... Were they _for real._ Before he got a chance to snark Terra gave him a _look._ One he knew all too well; Xemnas had given it to him on more than one occasion, whenever he had been closer to Saïx than was socially acceptable for a Nobody, which was to say, _at all_. It dared him to say something and see what happened. He would rather not, so he shut his mouth.

Aqua was obviously worried about her small friend. She'd known better than to ask for details, but Ven just seemed so _distraught_. Hopefully she would be able to talk to Terra about what had happened alone later, but for now Aqua would do her best to keep attention off of Ven. "He's fine now, but he's still a little shaken up, Naminé," Aqua told the girl kindly. It was sweet how they'd formed such a strong bond of friendship so quickly. Of course it made sense, given that both of them had Sora's heart in common. Continuing with her explanation of sorts, Aqua glanced at Ven before looking back to Naminé and saying, "It will probably take him some time before he calms down, it's best to leave him alone for a little while."

"You're sure he's okay?" Kairi asked, obviously also worried. She was pacified by Aqua's nod, but Roxas wasn't. Roxas noticed the small hesitation before Aqua actually nodded, and he wasn't sure the other blonde really _was_ okay. But, he wouldn't pry; obviously if Ven wasn't okay and they knew it, they were trying to avoid the issue to keep from making it worse. He couldn't really fault them for that...

Ven continued to silently cling to Terra through all of this. He was happier now than he'd been just a little while ago, but he still didn't really want to talk to anyone. It was easier to pretend he was still in shock... Really, he just didn't want Terra to put him down or let him go. He'd wanted to be with Terra for so long, and now they were together, but the circumstances that lead to that happening were... unpleasant. He could still feel the tiny hollow ache in his chest that Vanitas had left... But, being this close to Terra seemed to make it hurt just a little less, so he'd just cling to him for a little longer and he'd be fine...

"Hey, has anyone seen Sora and Riku?" Xion asked, looking around at the square. They were the last two to arrive, and obviously after Ven's kidnapping she was concerned. She was pretty sure those two could hold their own, but a tricky enough opponent could get the best of anyone... Xion frowned, not wanting to think too much on that thought because of the fight that had just ended.

As if on cue, Riku and Sora turned the corner and arrived. Riku was visibly relieved to get visual confirmation that everyone was, in fact, okay, though the fact Terra was holding Ven made him wonder if the boy was seriously injured... He wouldn't get a chance to ask though.

Lea saw his opportunity and he took it. He had to take his snark out on _someone_ after all, and honestly someone needed to lighten the mood. They were all okay now, so there was no reason to keep being so serious. People needed cheering up. Especially Ven. He smirked. "And just what took you two so long, hm?" he asked, staring pointedly at their conjoined hands.

At first, Riku was confused. "What...?" he asked, but then he followed Lea's gaze and turned bright red. He pulled his hand away and jumped about a foot away from Sora. "It's not like that!" He almost stammered, too embarrassed to actually be angry. And too worried how Sora would react to the unfortunate accusation.

Sora blinked blankly at Riku, then turned back to Lea, scratching the back of his head with one hand as he stared questioningly at the redhead. "We got kinda lost," Sora explained, lowering his hand again. "Is everyone okay?" he asked, wanting to make sure everything was fine before being too openly goofy. Then again, even if everyone _wasn't_ okay he'd probably do something silly to lighten the mood anyway. That was just the kind of thing Sora did, after all.

"Ven's a little spooked, but otherwise everyone's fine," Roxas relayed, oh so tempted to join in on Lea's teasing. But, well, keyblades to the face and all. He did throw a grin Riku's way, however.

"Well that's good!" Sora announced happily, completely ignoring Riku's reaction earlier and grabbing his hand to drag his friend closer to the others. "Kinda stinks this had to happen on our vacation day. But, hey, we're all still here and fine, right? Anyone wanna play some games?" Sora was, as always, easily distracted once the immediate threat had vanished. Besides, no better way to spite the darkness than to have some fun, right?

Riku coughed into his hand and looked away at the grin Roxas shot him, trying to calm down. Sora had seemed to ignore Lea's comment entirely, and he didn't know how to read that... and then Sora was taking his hand again. His face went right back to being as red as Lea's hair as he was pulled closer to the group. What did _that_ mean? He stumbled along thinking of at least 500 reasons for Sora's behavior, obviously trying too hard and overanalyzing. In the end he thought it was safe to peg it all on Sora's general obliviousness, and gently pulled his hand free again once they had stopped moving, trying to minimize the chances Lea and the others had to take shots at him. He thought it was all a bit cruel, since from his perspective if they could figure out _he_ had feelings for _Sora_ then they should also know Sora obviously had feelings for _Kairi_ and not _him._ He had no idea how wrong he was.

Lea nodded at Sora, giving Riku mercy, for now. He grinned. "I agree wholeheartedly! Let's play that ice cream game," he said, completely on board with Sora on the let's get people to cheer up and go back to having a good time train. He clamped a hand on Roxas' shoulder, having temporarily forgotten things were 'weird' with them at the moment. "What do you say Roxas, we were gonna see who could make the better ice cream, right?"

"You know it's gonna be me," Roxas answered Lea, smirking up at his tall friend and elbowing him playfully. The time they'd spent apart during the battle had completely calmed him down from what had happened on the spaceship, so he was back to being his normal somewhat-snarky self. And he _definitely_ wasn't gonna lose that bet to Lea.

"I'm gonna beat both of you!" Xion added, throwing her hands above her head excitedly. It did not take a lot of convincing to get Xion to do anything related to ice cream, especially after a long hard battle.

Lea grinned at both his friends. "We'll see who wins!" he challenged, putting his hands on his hips and standing tall. Ah yes, this was much better. Forget those assholes, there was ice cream to be had. And even better things, if he won his bet. He smirked at the thought. "I am thoroughly looking forward to my reward," he said confidently while sliding a sly look Roxas' way.

Roxas fought down a tiny blush and countered Lea with, "And I look forward to _mine_." He still had no intention of losing to Lea in this little wager of theirs. Of course, Xion was also in the mix, and she was a complete unknown as to whether she'd make something absolutely delicious or completely inedible. It was really a 50/50 shot.

Naminé turned around to address the other half of the group. She smiled softly, glad than Lea and Sora were making such an effort to make everyone happy again. They were sweet... even if Lea had an odd way of going about it. "I think that's a good idea," she contributed.

Terra looked down at the boy in his arms. "What about you, Ven?" he asked quietly, not intending for everyone to hear him. He wouldn't blame him if he was still too upset to want to participate... even if he would rather see him being happy and having fun. Still, if they had to Terra would retreat to a corner with him and take care of him. Maybe after watching the others having a good time it would help Ven get back on his feet.

"I would be all right playing a game..." Ven answered Terra in just as private a voice, smiling up at him. He'd regret having to be let go, but... Well, it would be worth it if he could make the both of them smile again. There was no better way to spite Vanitas than to go have fun with his new boyfriend, right? Right. Smirking just a little, Ven added, "Besides, you promised I could put ice cream on your nose again..."

Terra smiled warmly at Ven when he said he would be fine to play, and laughed softly at the reminder of his promise. "So I did," he said. He kissed his boyfriend on the forehead, not really caring about the presence of the others at this point and knowing even Lea knew better than to harass them when Ven was obviously upset. He shifted the boy in his arms a bit, but didn't set him down. Not yet. He would wait until the last possible moment to let Ven go.

"It sounds like we're all in agreement, then," Aqua chimed in, giggling softly at the group. She was glad things seemed to be getting back to normal rather quickly. Aqua started jogging off towards the ice cream shop with the intent of checking to be sure it was still all right for them to play. Looking over her shoulder to explain that, Aqua informed the group, "I'll go ask Mr. Scrooge if it's all right for us to play still. I'll be back in a moment."

Sora grinned, pleased with how easy it was to convince everyone to play. "Hey Riku, race you to the ice cream machine!" Sora said before taking off, having still never learned the lesson that he did not win races against Riku, ever. That didn't mean he wasn't going to keep trying of course.

"Huh!?" Riku said as Sora took off, still considerably distracted. Everything had seemed fine now, he might have tuned out a bit after Aqua announced she was leaving... He blinked a few times, it taking him an uncharacteristically long time to figure out what was happening. His face was still a bit red, and it went back to being a proper blush when he realized what was happening. "Hey!" he yelled, but it was basically too late at that point. He took off after Sora almost out of muscle memory and chased the boy down but... he had gotten more than a bit of a head start and... no. He didn't lose to _Sora._ Well, honestly he didn't think he'd actually care on a good day, but this was not a good day. He did not need this on top of the other teasing. He was never going to hear the end of it...

"All right, I won!" Sora cheered, _super_ pleased with himself. He never won races with Riku! Maybe that was because he always made the destination so far away... He'd have to try these short races out more! Sora was simply ecstatic that for once he'd finally come out on top.

Kairi laughed at her friend's antics. Having a feeling that Sora would forget and being something of a mixer, Kairi locked her arms behind her back and leant forward slightly, asking the brunette, "So, what do you want as a prize for winning, Sora?"

Sora paused his rather ridiculous victory dance. "Huh?" he asked, looking over at Kairi before falling into a thoughtful pose. "Oh yeah, that's right, I get something because I won. I almost forgot because of how little I win! Thanks Kairi," Sora answered, beaming at his friend for a moment. In the next moment he went back to his thoughtful pose, making a big show of his debate. "Hmm, now what do I want...?"

Despite himself, Riku couldn't help but smile at how happy Sora was, the boy's excitement easily outweighing his own despair. "I guess miracles do happen," he said, trying not to sound too unlike himself. Outwardly he didn't appear affected by the loss at all, calm and collected as always. Inside... Well, again, it was hard to actually be upset when Sora was so happy, but he was disappointed. And then Kairi spoke up. He gave the girl a small look of betrayal, though as always he couldn't bring himself to actually be mad at Kairi. Riku couldn't help but blush a little at the spectacle Sora started making of deciding his 'prize'. It was a little... well... After Lea and the hand holding his mind was a little... He could think of the kinds of things he would _want_ Sora to ask for, the same kinds of things he always wanted to ask of him, but knew he couldn't and he knew it wouldn't happen. Still, his somewhat derailed train of thought was embarrassing himself... He tried not to let it show, crossing his arms and looking at Sora defiantly. Fortunately his blush would probably now be misconstrued as being embarrassed he lost.

Aqua came back out of the ice cream shop. "Good news, everyone. Mr. Scrooge's nephews are going to look at the machine to make sure it still works, and as long as it's not broken we're free to play the game as much as we want," she let everyone know. If the machine was broken she'd been told all the other games were probably still in working order, but she knew everyone _really_ wanted to play the ice cream game.

Fortunately for Riku, Lea was too caught up in his own conversation to harass him at the moment. When Aqua returned and made her announcement he grinned. "All right! You two are going down!" he declared, clenching his fist and pulling it in front of him. He ignored the threat of the machine possibly being broken. And definitely not because if it was it would have most likely been his fault...

"That's great!" Terra said to Aqua, smiling widely. Perfect. Just the thing to help Ven cheer up. He smiled back down at his boyfriend again. He kissed him on the forehead again, in lieu of kissing him on the lips. He didn't care what anyone else thought, but he didn't want to embarrass Ven, and he knew that much would probably be pushing it. Still, he was happy. "I hope whatever ice cream you wind up putting on my face tastes good," he joked, not knowing what weird flavors might wind up being made.

Ven smiled and nuzzled Terra slightly. "I'll be sure to only use the best ice cream, then," he promised. He kind of already had a plan for that, honestly, but it would take some time. The downside to Ice Cream Beat was it could only be played by one person at a time, so it would take a while for them all to get a turn...

"That's good to know," Terra said softly. Ven was too sweet sometimes. And too cute too.

Sora's attention was immediately distracted by Aqua's announcement that they were cleared to play the game. "All right! I'll pick my prize later, okay Riku?" he said, starting to climb up on the machine.

"No! Me first!" Xion protested, running over and pulling Sora off. Scrooge's nephews took the time Sora and Xion played Rock Paper Scissors to decide who went first to test the machine, which they found to work to their satisfaction. The two keyblade wielders must have tied at least fifteen times before Xion finally managed to win, cheering as Sora slumped over dejectedly.

Riku bristled. What? He- He couldn't do that! Before he could protest Sora was halfway up the machine and Xion was pulling him off. He watched them rock paper scissors and when Xion won he knew he'd finally have a chance to address Sora about his lack of a decision. Hopefully now that he would have to wait until Xion was done to play he would _not_ leave him to writhe in merciless anticipation. "Sora, you can't just leave me hanging," he said, successfully keeping the desperation out of his voice. He really wanted to get this over with so he'd stop being... weird about it. His mind kept running away from him...

Sora looked back at Riku at the reminder that he still had a prize to pick. "Oh yeah. Uh... Hmm, what do I want...?" he mused, trying to think of something again. This was hard, there were just so many _options_... Sora tried to think back on all the various things Riku had demanded when he'd won, but mostly he kept coming back to the paopu fruit... He needed something that level of importance to signify such a rare win...

"Get him to kiss you on the cheek or something," Xion chimed in from her place in the ice cream game. "That's what Roxas and Lea are gonna give me when I win our bet!"

Sora blinked up at Xion, debating her suggestion for about .03 seconds. Well, it was as good an idea as any, and it wasn't like he had a better one! Turning back to Riku, Sora proudly proclaimed, "Okay, I want you to kiss me on the cheek, Riku!"

It took every ounce of restraint Kairi had to not burst out laughing. She held a hand in front of her mouth, though. She would have to buy Xion an ice cream later for that one. It was so obvious Sora and Riku liked each other, but they rarely ever did anything about it... Well, they were gonna do something about it now, it seemed.

Riku's composure utterly _shattered._ He was wide eyed and tense, a small distressed noise coming from the back of his throat at his lack of ability to form coherent thought, let alone words. He- What? _What?_ That was... He... He wanted to protest, but he knew he couldn't. Trying to dismiss it with 'but we're both guys' wouldn't fly in the current company, and if he made a big deal out of it it would draw more attention and make things worse for him. His face was _scarlet_ . This was... If anything it was unfair to Sora, because he didn't really know what he was _asking for._ It would be like he was taking advantage of him... It might have seemed like Riku was getting what he wanted, but in the end it wasn't... not like this at least. This must be what they meant when they said 'careful what you wish for', though he thought he'd already learned that life lesson.

He turned his head to the side and looked away. "...O-Okay...." He couldn't look Sora in the eye, and he hated himself for stuttering. He tried to force himself to calm down the best he could. He took a deep breath and marched over to his friend, placing a hand on his chin to keep his face steady and... and he made the mistake of looking at his face. He- shit. Was he really going to do this? His eyes kept flicking down to Sora's lips. On the _cheek,_ Riku _, the cheek._ He scolded himself. There was a long pause... He was still blushing like mad of course, and even shaking a little. And then he finally did it, leaning down and kissing him as fast he possibly could, lips brushing the skin for barely a fraction of a second. He pulled away just as fast, turning and walking away from the other boy and was already at least 20 feet away in just a matter of seconds. Had he mentioned he was blushing? Because that was still happening. He kept his back turned to everyone- but mostly Sora, and brought a hand to his lips. Somehow, despite how brief it had been, he could still taste Sora's skin... He didn't know what he was supposed to feel right now, but in the end he was just kinda... sad.

Sora beamed up at Riku, waiting for him to get on with it. He was rather proud of himself for catching Riku so off-guard. He was going to have to thank Xion for this idea later on. The grin on his face didn't wane as Riku hesitated, feeling prouder still of himself for getting Riku to give him something that apparently wasn't easy. Revenge for all his losses in the past! And then finally Riku gave in and kissed him on the cheek, even if he did immediately flee to practically the other side of the square. Once he thought Riku was out of earshot he pumped his fists to the side, quietly announcing, "Yes, halfway there!" The next moment Sora stood back up straight and looked over his shoulder to check whether or not Riku had caught that, then grinned sheepishly and held his hands behind his head. Yeah, he should probably be more careful about that. Pretending nothing had happened, Sora turned to Xion and pouted, "Come on, Xion, I want a turn!"

"Don't interrupt me, Sora, this is a rhythm game!" Xion protested, getting back to playing. If she lost because Sora was distracting her she would punch him. Kairi was just laughing.

Riku, of course, completely missed Sora's display, or things would be going very differently right now. He did eventually look over his shoulder at the other boy, but he couldn't quite bear to look at him for too long... Sora... Oh Sora... He could do such wonderful and terrible things to his heart without even trying... His hand fell from his lips to over his heart. This day... had really turned out to be something. Riku decided he would stay in his corner and brood quietly for a while; he didn't want to put a damper on everyone else's fun... and he didn't really think he'd quite be up to putting on a smile right now.

After watching the commotion for a while Terra smiled playfully down at Ven. "You know… I know I made a promise, but I can't say I won't try to take revenge, so you better watch out," he said, effectively challenging Ven to another ice cream war. Surely that would keep the boy's mind off of things.

Ven was grinning up at Terra like nothing bad had ever happened. "Oh yeah? Well you're on! I'm not gonna lose to you!" he challenged. He kinda wanted to go back into the ice cream shop now, but... They were supposed to be waiting for their turn to play Ice Cream Beat. Ven would probably win by a long shot, but he'd had a lot of practice back in the day, even if he was rusty now. Still, some things you didn't forget.

Terra couldn't help but grin. That was the Ven he knew and loved, this was much better. "We'll have to see about that. Though I guess you do have a home field advantage when it comes to ice cream," he admitted. The banter was familiar, and all in good fun. He found himself looking forward to their inevitable battle, as childish as it was going to be. They would be covered in ice cream and then... oh. Terra blushed a little, pushing aside several thoughts he deemed... uh... ahem... uncouth. Ven was far too innocent for anything like that. There were certainly more efficient ways to clean up, even if it was a waste of ice cream...

Ven chuckled. "I think Xion might wind up giving me a run for my money," he joked, glancing at Xion just in time to miss Terra's blush. Not that he would've minded, but it was probably better for Terra if he didn't ask certain questions. Ven snuggled a little more against his boyfriend, really glad things had wound up working out mostly okay. He... was still a little off from his encounter with Vanitas, but that would take time to get over. For now he was fine. He was with Terra, and as long as he was with Terra everything would be okay.

Terra was grateful Ven missed his... lapse. He held Ven a little closer when the small boy snuggled up to him, returning the favor by nuzzling his hair. "Nah, you're the champ. I don't think anyone here could dethrone you," he finally responded to Ven's comment. He really believed that, Ven was always good at these kind of things after all. He had a good sense of rhythm, what with the breakdancing and all. He had been so surprised when he first learned he could do that; it had seemed to come out of nowhere. He smiled fondly at the memory.

Roxas just sighed and shook his head slightly, a smile on his face. "That girl..." he said softly in amusement as Xion successfully commandeered the first shot at the game. It was nice to see her having such a good time... Especially since it let him focus on something that wasn't Lea flirting with him for a change.

Lea chuckled. "Yup," he agreed. He was glad to see her so happy and energetic though. She had come a long way from when they had first met. So had Roxas for that matter. Speaking of, he slung an arm around the boy's shoulder and grinned at him. "So, Roxas, looking forward to losing?" he asked, really meaning it. He hoped Roxas was looking forward to it, after all. As long as he didn't literally _run away_ from him like he had before, he assumed he was safe to go back to pushing his friend's buttons.

Roxas elbowed Lea in the side playfully, the softest of blushes staining his cheeks. "I've told you before, Lea, I'm not gonna lose. Got it memorized?" he taunted. It seemed like he was in a much better mood than the last time they'd flirted - even if Roxas didn't necessarily want to admit they were flirting - so he wasn't really pulling away. It probably had to do with the fact that no one was really paying attention to them at the moment, so it wasn't as embarrassing.

Lea grinned at Roxas. "Oh yeah? Well maybe you should memorize _this_." And with that he kissed the boy on the temple. He was a little scared he would scare him off again, but he couldn't help himself. No one was paying attention to them, everyone off in their own little cliques, so it was fine. He smirked at the boy and watched to see his reaction.

Roxas, however, was about to die of mortification. He blushed and pushed away from Lea, whining, "Lea...!" Roxas looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to them. It wasn't so bad when they weren't around other people, but there were _people_...

Lea smirked. He was a little sad Roxas pushed him away, but he wasn't exactly surprised. Still, he hadn't outright fled the premises this time, so that was a plus. "You really are adorable when you blush, Roxas," he said. He probably shouldn't be pushing it, but well... It _was_ true.

Ven beamed up at Terra, happy that he seemed to have so much faith in him. They were going to have so much fun... Out of the corner of his eye, Ven noticed Aqua was just kind of standing by herself and waved her over. "Hey, Aqua!" he called, hoping she'd come over to them.

Aqua perked up and looked over to Ven, smiling at her friends. She looked behind her at Riku a moment, debating if she should go over to him instead, but she wound up being unable to resist Ven's call. After all, it was Ven. "Hey, how are you holding up?" she asked, smiling at her friends. Oh, Aqua was so glad to see Ven smiling again...

"Pretty good. We were talking about who we think is gonna do the best," Ven relayed. He still showed no signs of asking Terra to put him down any time soon. He really hoped he wasn't too heavy and wasn't bothering Terra by having him keep holding him like this... Well, it wasn't like Terra was shaking with the effort or anything, so it was fine for now.

Terra, of course, was having absolutely no problem holding Ven, and was more than happy to do so indefinitely. If anything he would be more hard pressed to put him down. He smiled at Aqua. "Ven is obviously going to win though, despite what he thinks," he said, then turned his gaze to beam down at his boyfriend. Boyfriend. Right. They hadn't said anything yet... He had neglected to tell Aqua before because things were still serious and he didn't want the happy news to get tainted by them finding out something else terrible had happened... The circumstances of he and Ven finally coming together were tainted enough as it was... His smile slipped a little at the thought. But everything was okay again; they were all safe and happy and playing games and eating ice cream. So... "Hey Ven..." he said softly, a shy smile retaking his face. "You think we should... you know... tell her?" he asked. From his tone and serene expression he hoped it was obvious what he was referring to.

"Tell me what?" Aqua asked, sounding a little bit apprehensive. They were smiling so it couldn't be too bad, right? Right? As much as she hated to admit it she still got anxious when anything happened that could be a threat to her friends, and without knowing what they were going to reveal to her... No. it would be fine. Ven was happy so this was happy news, right?

Ven blushed slightly, turning his face into Terra's shirt for a second to gather confidence before turning back to Aqua. "Um, Aqua... When Terra came to rescue me from Vanitas under the city, one thing kinda lead to another, and..." Ven trailed off, smiling somewhere between ecstatically and guiltily. It still felt a little... like a dream, really, and admitting it to Aqua was scarier than he'd thought...

Aqua's expression morphed to one of surprise and then one of happiness. She held her hands in front of her chest as she laughed lightly, relieved at the news. "I'm so happy for the two of you. I was wondering when you would finally confess, Terra," she teased her friend. She would tease Ven more but he was still... fragile. Aqua didn't want to risk saying anything that would hurt her precious friend, not after... Well, _something_ bad had happened underground, even if she wasn't sure what. She would have to talk to Terra about that later, maybe while Ven was playing his round...

Terra blushed at Aqua's teasing. "H-Hey! I..." He looked away embarrassed and said quietly, "Well... I didn't, Ven did, so..." It was true after all, he probably wouldn't have mustered up the courage to tell the other boy how he really felt otherwise. He would have just felt like he was shoving and forcing his feelings onto Ven if he did that, and he didn't want Ven to have to deal with his own personal drama if he didn't return them... Things would have been awful if an unreturned confession had put distance between them... He was really glad Ven had been braver than him in that moment.

Aqua's expression softened, and she was about to say something when Lea's voice rose above the crowd. "Oh dear..." she muttered, looking behind her. Maybe she should've gone to talk to Riku after all... She was torn, because if she hadn't she still wouldn't know her friends had finally started dating each other. Then again, Aqua was just a little jealous... No, it was fine, they had each other and could protect each other now, there was even less to worry about than before. Right? Right... Though, maybe she should try and calm everyone else down now...

Eventually, Xion finished her round, and for going first she did really good! Hopping down from the game, she announced, "Your turn, Sora!" Sora grinned his goofy grin and hopped on the machine in turn, eager for his try. Xion’s score was high though, it would be hard to beat…

Riku looked over his shoulder again and watched Sora clamber onto the machine. As always, Sora's obvious joy brought a small smile to his face despite everything. Well, he was having fun, and that's what mattered right? That was how it always was. He was content just to watch the love of his life from the shadows....

Xion then scurried over to her two friends, practically bouncing up and down. "Hey guys! I did pretty good! Not a perfect score but I had fun!" she said. She then noticed Roxas was acting weird. "You okay Roxas?"

Roxas blushed darker and looked away. "Y-Yeah, fine, why do you ask?" he answered, trying to ignore Xion's unimpressed look. Ah, that was just perfect timing, now there were people around to see him blush... And Lea thought it was cute when he did that, no wonder he was always teasing him all the time... Argh, this was frustrating.

"He's just embarrassed because he knows he's gonna lose to us," Lea said, having mercy on Roxas now that Xion was back. She was a dear friend, but she had spoiled his fun a bit, oh well. There would be time later after all, especially after he won. He smiled at Xion. "Don't get cocky just because you did well. I'm gonna blow your score out of the water!" he declared, somewhat hypocritically in regards to being cocky.

"I am not..." Roxas protested lightly, though he didn't really want to draw too much attention to himself. For a guy who was determined to memorize things, he sure needed to be reminded Roxas wasn't going to lose to him a lot...

Xion pouted at Lea. "No! It's not my fault my score is so bad, Sora kept distracting me!" It wasn't her fault he'd been loudly trying to figure out what to do about a bet. Oh yeah, he'd actually listened to her suggestion, hadn't he? A wickedly smug smile formed on Xion's face as she beckoned Lea and Roxas closer. Once she was sure no one else in the square would overhear, Xion alerted them to the tiny scheme she'd inadvertently pulled off. "So, hey, I got Riku to kiss Sora on the cheek. Shh! Don't react yet!" she whispered, overly proud of herself. It was times like this the Sora part of her really showed through. "He's kinda being all mopey about it though, are you sure he actually likes him?" she asked, legitimately curious. If they'd been taunting Riku about Sora and he didn't even like the guy she would feel kinda weird...

"You're _kidding_ right?" Lea asked at her question, smirking widely at the new development. "Have you _seen_ them? He is being mopey _because_ he likes Sora. Trust me. He's an idiot. He's probably over there lamenting his 'unrequited love'," Lea explained, the last two words in air quotes, in an equally hushed voice, occasionally glancing over at the subject of their conversation. Oh this was _hilarious._ He was so proud of Xion right now. Lea stood up straight - having had leaned over to hear the whispers of his short friends - and said loudly in Riku's direction, "So, Riku, when are you and Sora tying the knot?"

Riku jumped at the sudden call of his name, startled out of his thoughts. And then... _Sonofabitch_ someone told Lea what had happened. _Why._ Why _him._ He blushed again, and struggled to form words for a moment. Eventually though, he was able to force his own expression into something equally smug. He had had enough of Lea - everyone had probably had enough of Lea - it was time to give him a taste of his own medicine. "I don't know Lea, when are you and _Roxas_ getting married," he shot back. His face was still red, so he was less intimidating than normal, but he assumed his words would be more than enough.

Lea's grin only widened. Oh Riku, you silly, why would you _ever_ think that would work? He was, quite literally, playing with fire. He draped an arm around Roxas and started waving his arm around dramatically as he spoke. "Why, in the spring! Didn't you get the invitation? The colors are going to be red and gold; we already picked out the bridesmaids’ dresses, but we haven't been able to agree on a cake." His grin grew even bigger. "So, which one of you is going to wear the dress?"

Riku's jaw fell slack as his plan backfired _spectacularly._ The only saving grace was that Sora was probably too distracted by the ice cream game to have heard any of that. And- And _why did one of them have to wear a dress?_ He wasn't sure if the thought of himself or Sora in one embarrassed him more. His face had returned to being the color of his aggressor’s hair. He... What did he even say to that?? After a bit of stuttering he finally snapped. "Neither of us! We're just friends!!" he insisted, knowing it was a half truth. Even though he had raised his voice it still really didn't have any bite to it; Lea had pretty much knocked him completely off balance and he hadn't recovered.

Roxas was _mortified_ . His face was just as red as Riku's, and he'd buried it in his hands the moment Lea had touched him. He... How could Lea just _say_ things like that? Unable to handle the situation, Roxas fled Lea's side and moved to Riku's, sitting not too close but not too far away on the nearest raised surface. "I'm joining the angst corner," Roxas mumbled through his hands as an explanation to Riku. Just when things were starting to calm down Lea went and said something like _that_... Why did this keep happening...

Kairi just sighed as she watched the spectacle. Those boys couldn't be left alone for two minutes without getting into it... Thankfully Sora was way too distracted by the rhythm game to catch any of it, or so she assumed. The last thing they needed was Sora joining in on the taunting... Well, they'd certainly discovered the problem of playing a game only one person could play at a time.

Xion had at first been excited about things, but she pouted when Roxas left their side. She thought Roxas and Lea really liked each other, but Roxas had been acting weird all day... Had something happened? Or was Roxas just a lot like Riku and wasn't good at admitting he liked someone? That made sense, she supposed, but... Well, she wanted Roxas to come back. Lea was probably gonna pout now, and sad Lea was worse news than happy Lea... Well, in some ways. And hadn't she said she didn't want Lea to react yet? "Lea..." Xion whined.

Terra looked up at all the commotion and sighed. Wow... That was... Well, he couldn't say he was surprised. He was now even more glad Aqua was the only one who knew about his and Ven's new relationship... He was actually a little disappointed Riku's plan had backfired himself. Someone had to put Lea in his place, but apparently that was a lot easier said than done. "Well that... happened..." he commented.

Aqua sighed and looked down. "I feel bad... I should have gone to talk to him..." she said. She'd wanted to come talk to her friends, though... She had so few chances now...

"It's okay, Aqua, it's not your fault... Cheer up, okay?" Ven consoled his friend. After all, even if she'd been over there Lea probably still would've said what he did. There was no use getting too upset about it now as long as they could make everyone feel better. Aqua smiled lightly back at Ven and nodded.

Terra added, "Ven's right. This probably would have happened anyway, Lea is always like this..." He felt really bad for Riku and Roxas but... Well, at least Naminé seemed like she was trying to help. He guessed he really couldn't judge them all too much though, after all, it had taken really extreme and unfortunate conditions to finally push him and Ven together...

Terra's reassurance made Aqua smile just a little brighter. "I wonder if Xion's ice cream flavor is done yet," she mused. It took a little while for those things to finish to her understanding, but half of the point of being here - well, most of the point, actually - was to actually _eat_ ice cream. Maybe if everyone had a sweet treat to busy themselves with they wouldn't fight so much... Or whatever fight they did get into would just be another good-natured ice cream war.

"We could go check?" Ven suggested, looking first at Aqua then up at Terra. He had a feeling he knew why Aqua was asking and agreed with that sentiment, but also he had kind of promised to put ice cream on Terra's nose. Thinking about that more, Ven mentioned, "You know, I haven't gotten to try your or Terra's flavors yet, Aqua. I still want to do that." Maybe they could go do that now and avoid all the drama that kept trying to happen...

Terra smiled at Ven, more than happy to take him wherever he wanted to go. "Sure. We can get you some of my flavor while we get Xion's, if it's done," he said. He was excited to try the new flavor. Also, to excuse himself from the drama. He had had enough of that for one day, he felt he and Ven deserved to be exempt from it.

Ven beamed up at Terra while Aqua nodded. "Shall we go, then?" she asked, beginning to lead the way into the ice cream shop. There were a lot of people left to play still, so surely they wouldn't be missed for a while. And if they managed to get everyone ice cream or something to calm them down, even better.

Terra followed Aqua and walked into the ice cream shop, of course carrying Ven the whole way. Now that they were more secluded, and Aqua was conveniently leading them and therefore had her back facing them, Terra snuck a quick peck on the lips, finally happy to get that out of his system... Nevermind, that would never be out of his system, but he was still glad he was able to do it. He then walked to the counter and asked, "Do you have any Rockin' Crunch?"

Scrooge smiled at them and dug around where he kept the bar type ice creams. "Of course. Three Rockin' Crunch, free of charge. I'm glad ta see ya got yer friend back from those beasts," he said, holding the ice cream out to the trio. He'd watched the whole thing go down from his shop, after all, and while he may be Scrooge McDuck, he _did_ have a heart. Especially for repeat customers.

Ven's smile had brightened at Terra's kiss, and brightened more when the ice cream was offered. "Thank you very much!" he said, happily reaching down to take his ice cream. It then occurred to him it might be hard for Terra to hold his ice cream while he was, you know, holding Ven...

Aqua took care of that, taking the extra ice cream herself until they could go sit down and Terra could free up one of his hands. "Yes, thank you very much, sir! We're glad he's back with us, too," she said, then gestured to the table they'd sat at before. That was now their table, no matter what anyone else said. While she walked she took a good look at the ice cream, and she could just tell this was Terra's. It was him all over. Aqua chuckled lightly as she thought back to earlier and wondered about how likely the possibility was that the ice cream was about to be all over _him_.

Terra walked over to their table and gingerly set Ven down in a chair, kissing his hair when he had settled. He sat down himself, scooting his chair over right next to Ven's shamelessly, and took his boyfriend's hand. He would have just sat Ven down in his lap, but if they were going to have an ice cream war again this would be a little more conducive to that. He held his hand out to Aqua to take his ice cream. "Thank you for holding that for me, Aqua." He smiled. This was so nice. Just the three of them, enjoying ice cream together... He felt a little bad for abandoning the others but... Well, they could go join them again once things calmed down out there...

Aqua smiled at her friend and was honestly surprised he'd actually put Ven down. Though, without knowing exactly what had happened she wasn't as surprised as she would've been if she had. The woman handed Terra the ice cream, saying, "You're welcome. I figured your hands were a little preoccupied."

Ven smiled as Terra pulled his chair closer and took his hand. He didn't bother being sad that he didn't get to sit in Terra's lap, since these chairs weren't really designed with that in mind and there would always be other opportunities. Ven was going to need his hand, though, so he pulled away from Terra's grip and linked their elbows instead. It was still contact, and that was what really mattered. The blonde examined his ice cream critically before taking a bite, his eyes widening slightly as he announced, "Hey, this is really good!"

Terra smiled when Ven linked their arms, leaning a bit into the other boy. "Heh, yeah," he said to Aqua cheerily. The Ven finally tasted his ice cream. He smiled wider. "I'm really glad you like it, Ven," he said before taking a bite out of his own share. "Although I'm sure yours is even better."

Ven hummed in response, taking another bite of his ice cream. It really did remind him of Terra, and as far as he was concerned that made it the best. "Well, about that..." Ven answered cryptically, smirking mischievously. He took a swipe of the ice cream and, as promised, reached up and put it cleanly on Terra's nose. The blonde beamed up at his boyfriend, rather proud of himself.

Aqua chuckled lightly behind her ice cream. "You two just can't go five minutes without putting ice cream on each other's noses, can you?" she jokingly chastised. Obviously she had no intention of stopping them from having fun, especially since the both of them were smiling again. It was like nothing bad had ever happened... Yes, this is the way it was supposed to be.

Terra smiled at Ven, obviously unbothered by the assault. He looked at Aqua when she spoke and offered, "Well I promised him he could," as explanation without context. He then turned back to Ven and leaned forward, rubbing his nose against Ven's in an Eskimo kiss and smearing the ice cream on him as well.

"Ack, Terra!" Ven whined playfully, pulling away and then trying to lick the ice cream off his own nose. He looked rather silly trying, and he definitely wasn't being successful. Aqua just laughed and went to go get him a napkin. Once that was taken care of Ven returned to happily eating his ice cream, not really wanting to waste too much of the treat trying to start an ice cream war. This was something of Terra's, after all, so it deserved to be savored.

Terra just laughed. "I told you was going to take revenge didn't I?" He went back to eating his own ice cream after that though, Ven got to be in charge of how far the ice cream war went. He detwined their arms in favor of snaking his around Ven's waist and pressing the small boy against him, leaning his head on his. Yes, everything was fine now. He sighed happily and mumbled quietly, "I guess we proved you really can find light even in the deepest darkness..." Terra was the kind of guy who never really realized how cheesy he sounded.

Ven laughed lightly and happily leaned against Terra, having zero complaints about their new arrangement. The two of them - three of them, really, Aqua was rather cuddly too - had had no qualms about being physically close even before they were together. Now that he and Terra were dating, it seemed only natural they'd want to cuddle even more. Ven smiled brightly up at Terra at his cheesy line, ever amused by his boyfriend's antics. And he was right, anyway. "Yeah, I guess we really did," Ven said, smiling up at Terra and snuggling more against him. Yeah, this was the life, cuddling with Terra and eating ice cream with him and Aqua...

Outside, Riku looked over at Roxas as he joined him. Oh... "I'm sorry..." he apologized. He had been so busy trying to get back at Lea that he hadn't thought about Roxas at all. Even if Lea had acted the way he'd expected, Roxas would have taken the hit as well. He hadn't meant to embarrass him too, he felt like an ass... "I didn't mean to drag you into it, I wasn't thinking..." he explained lamely. He was still blushing, but the guilt was a bit of a dose of reality, so he had calmed down a bit. His expression was sincere- he felt _really bad._

Roxas sighed, lowering his hands. "It's all right, I'm not mad at _you_ ," Roxas told Riku, his face still burning. Lea _knew_ he didn't want people to know about them... didn't he? "That guy just doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut sometimes..." he grumbled. There was the _tiniest_ note of fondness, maybe because Lea really seemed to be upset he'd left, but mostly he was just irritated.

Naminé, meanwhile, had been quietly watching for quite some time. She still felt like the odd man out and hadn't wanted to impose on anyone, so she stood to the side and was simply happy to watch everyone else be happy. Until they stopped being happy. She sighed, knowing that it wouldn't really be right for her to just sit by and let anything more happen… She walked over to the recently dubbed 'angst corner' and approached the two brooding boys there. "Are you two alright?" she asked quietly. Someone needed to cheer them up, and hopefully she could act as a buffer between them and Lea until everyone calmed down.

Roxas sighed and told her, "I'm fine... I'm just embarrassed..."

Naminé smiled sweetly at Roxas. It seemed like he wasn't legitimately angry at Lea, that was good. "He only says those things because he's fond of you, Roxas." She turned. "And Riku..."

"Don't," he cut her off. They had probably had this conversation 100 times while Sora had been asleep. She had tried so many times to convince him that it was okay for him to feel the way he did, and that Sora wouldn't reject him, but he wouldn't hear it. As far as he was concerned, the fact that she had taken Kairi's place in Sora's memories and used her to manipulate him meant she was the most important to Sora and therefore invalidated any of her arguments, when really it had mostly happened that way because she was mostly Kairi's Nobody... For whatever reason, even on days he was able to be convinced Sora might have feelings for him, he still insisted that he was supposed to be with Kairi, loved her more, and getting between them would be wrong.

Well... maybe she did know the reason, Riku probably deep down just still didn't think he deserved to be happy, or deserved Sora of all people. She could relate to that... but... he was just hurting _both_ of them. Sora cared so deeply for Riku... Everyone else could see it, why couldn't he...? She looked down sadly, hands folding in front of her lap. "I know, but..."

Roxas raised an eyebrow at Riku. The guy was seriously oblivious to Sora's feelings, wasn't he? But, he wasn't Lea, Roxas would leave him alone about it. If Riku wanted to wallow that was his choice. Instead he chose to answer Naminé, sighing and saying, "Yeah, I know... But does he have to say them like _that_ ? In front of _everyone_?" Really, it wouldn't be so bad if they were alone... Like they had been all those days on the clock tower in Twilight Town... Yeah, those had been the days...

Naminé smiled up at Roxas. "...Pretty much everyone here already knew, you know," she said honestly, not what Roxas wanted to hear probably, but something he needed to. "Lea certainly isn't the most chivalrous, and I understand why it can be frustrating, but it's just his way of letting his feelings be known," she said. She hadn't set out to defend Lea or anything, but both he and Roxas could use a helping hand in understanding each other a little better, at least when it came to this sort of thing. Romantic feelings always made things so much more complicated than they should be, it seemed.

Roxas groaned, hiding his head in his hands again. "I know, but that's not the _point_ ," he whined, though he didn't elaborate on what exactly the point was. The point was he... kind of had a dilemma. He liked Lea, a lot actually. But... He kinda... had feelings for Xion, too. He wasn't sure what kind of feelings, they didn't get to be alone together a lot because Lea was always around and, well, they technically weren't that old... But Xion was also Sora and Roxas was Sora too and how was something like _that_ handled in standard civilized society? It was easier to just like Lea, but he didn't want to give in and confess anything to Lea if he was still having feelings for other people... And besides, Lea kept being _embarrassing_. Gosh this was hard.


	18. Riku Fucks Up (Because Depression is Hard)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Riku's stubborn refusal to admit self worth causes a lot of problems that will in turn fuel his inability to admit self worth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Back with some updates again finally! Don't know how long the regularity is gonna last but hey, new chapters!  
> We've still been writing, its just getting everything into a readable state that takes so long. So we don't plan on stopping updates anytime soon, they're just gonna get released like a new season on netflix >>

"Don't be like that! Roxaaas!" Lea called, whining at the loss of his blonde's company. Well, in hindsight he had  _ definitely _ pushed things too far for what Roxas could handle, so this was only to be expected but... He frowned. So Riku was gonna split them up again, huh? Figures this would happen... And then Xion called to him. He turned to her, a bit confused at first because he hadn't realized what he could have done to upset  _ her _ too, but he eventually figured it out. "...Oh, sorry, I thought you just wanted me to wait until you had an explanation- thought I was in the clear. Didn't mean to mess up your plan..." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Now  _ both  _ of them were upset with him. Great...

Xion waved her arms slightly as she said just loud enough for Lea to hear, "You knew Riku would react like that, and you can't just say things like that around Roxas! He's a tsun! You have to wait for when he isn't there before you say that kind of stuff!" It was gonna take forever for Roxas to come back to them now... Xion didn't like it when Roxas went away. She worried about him when he wasn't there... And maybe she was a little jealous of him and Lea... But that wasn't really relevant right now.

Lea sighed as he listened to the lecture. He actually felt guilty, but he couldn't really imagine him having done anything else in that situation, honestly. "Yeah I know, but-" And then he registered something she had said in the middle. He hopped back and leaned down, excited by the revelation. "Wait, did you say tsun? Like tsundere? That means he has the dere part too, right? He's not just a tsuntsun but a tsun _ dere _ , right??" he asked eagerly, trying to milk a confirmation about Roxas' feelings on the matter from Xion who apparently might know. If that was the case then he would have a lot less to worry about. And here he was thinking Roxas might actually not reciprocate... He was too caught up in everything to wonder where Xion had ever learned terms like that.

"He's gonna be a deretsun if you keep being mean to him!" Xion countered, not confirming Roxas' actual status as a tsundere because that was Lea's job to officially determine. Honestly she was throwing him a pretty big bone just giving him the tsun part, but at least it had kept his focus away from Riku and Sora for now. She just wanted everyone to be happy and eat ice cream, was that so much to ask?

"I'm not being mean! I'm just professing-" Lea caught himself before any unfortunate slip-ups involving the 'L word'. "You know- trying to let him know I care!" he argued back. Well, it was true he often set out to embarrass the boy on purpose, but it wasn't like he had to do much to accomplish that. It wasn't like Ven acted that way when Terra was close to him; hell one was literally toting the other around now, and he couldn't even make a joke about a wedding? That was obviously not something to have been taken seriously. It wasn't like he was going around shouting their love from the rooftops. And Roxas even got embarrassed while they were  _ alone _ . He ran away from just a  _ kiss on the cheek _ . How the hell else was he supposed to interpret that? "He's the one who's being mean!" he added petulantly, whiningly and in no way angry, of course. He was acting more his two small friends' age than his own...

Xion just gave Lea a  _ look _ . She wasn't dumb; she knew her friends fairly well, if she did say so herself. "Well if it's not working maybe you should try something else," she suggested. Xion had zero idea of where to start with that 'something else', but it was Lea's problem so Lea had to be the one to find a solution. Xion had enough problems of her own to deal with... That didn't mean she wouldn't  _ help _ , it just meant she couldn't do  _ everything _ . Besides, if she did everything for Lea, that would kind of defeat the whole point.

Lea took in Xion's words for a moment, then deflated, leaning hunched over at the ground. "Yeah, yeah..." he said. He knew that consciously but it was so  _ hard. _ He didn't know what else he was supposed to do! It wasn't like he hadn't sort of tried different things! It didn't make sense! He just... wanted to get Roxas' attention, that was all... This was so frustrating. He thought he was finally doing things the  _ right _ way, that things would be easier than they had been with... He finally stood up straight, he looked a bit uncharacteristically serious for a moment, then shrugged casually. "Whatever. I guess I'll tone it down then."

Xion frowned. Now Lea was upset, too... She'd tried to help and just made everything worse, again. Why did things keep turning out this way... Maybe if she reminded Lea of the bet? No, if she mentioned that now there was a possibility he'd outright cancel it, and that would be so disappointing... Xion deflated a little bit, not sure what to do now. Well... Maybe ice cream would help? "...You could always try to win him back with ice cream?" Xion suggested. It was something that had always seemed to cheer Roxas up in the past, and they had seemed to be fine when they'd shared ice cream earlier, so... Because, you know, it wouldn't be good if Lea changed  _ too _ much...

Lea blinked at Xion's reaction. Oh... He hadn't meant to upset her... She probably thought it was her fault his mood had taken a turn for the worse, which wasn't true at all. And he supposed he should have known better than to think her and Roxas wouldn't be able to see through his usual facades... He smiled softly at her, trying to cheer her up. "That is true. Ice cream is the solution to all the world's problems," he said entirely seriously. More jokingly he added, "We could probably use it to defeat Xehanort!" He flashed her a grin, hoping she would perk up.

Xion did in fact perk up at Lea's joking comment. That was the Lea she knew. "Hehe, yeah, we probably could! I bet he wouldn't be expecting it, either. Hey, do you think Kingdom Hearts is actually made out of ice cream?" she asked, now just being completely silly. But... At the mention of Kingdom Hearts, the corner of her mouth twitched slightly and her eyes turned somewhat pleading. The look only lasted for a bare second before she pushed the thoughts out of her mind. There... would be time to mull over what had happened with the Riku Replica later. For now she had to cheer Lea up so they could go cheer Roxas up! Yeah!

"Absolutely," Lea agreed, crossing his arms and nodding, fully joining in on the silliness. Roxas probably needed some time to cool down, there was no point in moping in the meantime, he and Xion could just have some fun without him. Things would work out. "I bet the X-blade keeps breaking because it's actually made out of popsicle sticks. 13 from chocolate bars and 7 from vanilla. It only makes sense." He grinned at Xion, yeah, everything would be fine.

Xion laughed at Lea's theory, honestly amused at the mental image. "Oh my gosh, you know what would be great? If we made like, a Kingdom Hearts-shaped cake, and made little tiny keyblades out of dark chocolate and white chocolate and stuck 'em in there! And thus it turned out the fabled Keyblade War was just over who got the biggest slice of ice cream cake!" Yeah, that was a  _ way _ better ending than they were probably going to get regarding actual real life Kingdom Hearts, but the mental image was funny anyway. And besides, the more ridiculous their theories got the less Xion worried about things. Distraction by ice cream at its best.

Lea grinned. "That's perfect! Do you think we could get Dilan or Aqua to make one? Maybe we could sneak into the kitchen ourselves..." He was, after all, not unused to Dilan bodily throwing him out of places. And that would be the worst of what happened if they got caught. Yes, Kingdom Hearts cake was going to happen. He didn't know how to make an ice cream cake, and he doubted Xion did, but they'd figure it out. It was a very important mission.

Xion hummed in thought, crossing her arms and looking critically at the floor. "Well, we could probably convince Aqua to help us out, if nothing else. I dunno about Dilan, he's kinda scary sometimes. I don't really know how to make a cake, so it might be better if we get someone who knows how to cook to help us..." she said, voicing her ideas on the plan. Aqua was really nice,  _ surely _ she could be convinced to help make- Xion looked up excitedly at Lea as a thought occurred to her. "We should call it Cakedom Hearts!"

Lea was stunned for a moment by the sheer amazingness of Xion's words. "Xion, you are a genius," he said. "To Cakedom Hearts!" he declared, pumping a fist into the air. Ice cream  _ and _ bad puns? Yeah, things were gonna be fine.

***

And then everything was about to get way better or way worse, because Sora finished with his round of Ice Cream Beat. "All right, I'm done! Next person's up!" he announced, happily looking around to find... people acting weird. Raising an eyebrow, Sora mused, "Huh? Did I miss something?" as he hopped off the machine.

Riku looked up at him, but then quickly looked away. Well, at least he confirmed that he had missed all that. That was good at least... He still didn't think he'd be able to face him yet, but really wasn't going to get a say in the matter if Sora wandered over...

Kairi stepped up to the machine as Sora hopped down from it. "How'd you do, Sora? What's the score to beat?" she asked, partially to give the others just a bit more time to get themselves together. After all, there was now a designated angst corner, and the situation was never good when there was a designated angst corner.

"Xion's still winning," Sora answered, pouting. He'd thought he would've been better at the game because of all his training in the gummi ship, but that was more button mashing and less timed precision strikes. Sora would probably have to spend more time in Atlantica practicing his timing before he came to play again...

With Kairi busy playing and everyone else mostly paired off, Sora decided to go chat with Riku. Really, he probably would've gone to talk to Riku whatever the situation was anyway. "Hey, Riku!" Sora called, announcing his approach as he made it. He'd kinda learned not to sneak up on his friend. Sometimes. Other times he very purposefully tried to sneak up on Riku. It was really more of a whim thing. As he made it over to Riku's angst corner he smiled and waved at the other two before directing his attention solely to his silver-haired friend. "I'm kinda bummed, Xion got a better score than I did. Hopefully my ice cream will be good anyway," he said as way of striking up conversation, grinning happily despite his lament. No reason to be sad in ice cream land as long as they weren't under attack, right?

Riku tensed when Sora approached, but found himself smiling at the boy's easy grin despite himself. "I dunno Sora, you never were any good at making food," he said. It amazed him how easily he could just slip back into their easy banter. It was so strange, Sora's presence made him nervous, but he still automatically calmed him. The contradiction was an enigma, he just didn't understand... but that was what love did to people, he supposed. Still, despite the fact he had found it easier to pretend he was okay, his eyes kept darting to Sora's lips and cheek. What had happened still left its mark, it seemed...

Sora playfully punched Riku's shoulder. "I'd like to see you do any better," he challenged. Sora did a lot of challenging when Riku was involved. Were he a man more aware of and vocal about his feelings he would say it was the way they flirted. As per the usual, a smug, challenging grin found its way onto Sora's face at the chance to make yet another bet. "Hey, wanna bet on which one of us is gonna get the higher score? Xion may be beating me but I didn't do too bad!" he asked his friend. It was rare Riku turned down a challenge, and he was curious to see just how well his friend would do in a rhythm game. He kinda wished Riku had been able to go with him to Atlantica, but that had never happened...

_ No, _ was Riku's first thought. He really didn't want to make another bet, not right now, not after what just happened. But... He looked at Sora. He was literally incapable of turning the boy down, he wouldn't be able to stand seeing Sora inevitably being disappointed because of him. "...Sure," he agreed. He crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow, giving a smug smirk of his own. It would be fine, wouldn't it? He probably wouldn't have that hard of a time beating Sora anyway, and even if he didn't nothing bad would happen as long as  _ other people _ didn't put weird ideas in the brunette's head... Nevermind the fact Xion was Sora's  _ clone.  _ "You already exceeded your victory limit for the year, anyway," he added smugly. This was fine. It was normal. Things would go back to normal...

Sora's grin widened. Riku'd seemed a little off when he'd first come over, but now he was acting like his old self, that was good! And he'd gotten him to consent to another bet, which was  _ perfect _ . "Oh yeah? We'll see about that limit!" he challenged good-naturedly. After all, he didn't  _ really _ care if he won since he already had, but it would be more fun if he won again! Sora fell once more into a thoughtful pose, eyebrow raised at nothing as he mused out loud, "Hmm, now what do I want if I win?" He made a show of deciding, even though he'd already known what he was going to ask for since the moment he'd come over to Riku's corner. "I think... I want another... round of ice cream," he decided with a nod. Sora then slung an arm around Riku's shoulders, pulling the taller boy down slightly as he added, "Unless you wanna give me a kiss on the lips this time." The brunette waggled his eyebrows in playful suggestion. It was completely unclear if Sora was just teasing Riku or if he really meant it.

Riku was, of course, relieved when Sora announced he simply wanted more ice cream. It was incredibly short lived, however, as he felt himself being pulled down to the brunette’s level and then he said...  _ that _ . "Wha-" His face unsurprisingly turned red again, and he couldn't stop himself from openly starting at Sora's lips. Oh, he wanted to  _ so bad. _ But he couldn't. He just couldn't. It would be wrong. But... Would he ever get the chance again? The pretense of a stupid bet putting the offer on seemingly neutral, noncommittal ground was so tempting, but...  _ no. _ He... "It's not up to me, it's your prize, Sora," he found himself saying despite himself, dodging giving a straight answer and passing the ball back to Sora when he should have just said  _ no. _ But it was  _ Sora _ , and he couldn't say no to him... His eyes had trailed away to the nearest wall as he spoke, unable to face the other boy in his shame.

And Sora... wasn't sure what to do. It had been satisfying making Riku blush and flustering him, but he'd given a non-committal answer and Sora's confidence wavered a little. Settling on his course of action, Sora released Riku so he could hold his hands behind his head, grinning at Riku and deciding, "Just the ice cream, then. I probably won't win anyway." If someone didn't know better, they'd think Sora actually looked just a little disappointed. It didn't last long, however, as Sora's grin returned full force when he asked Riku, "So, what do you want if  _ you _ win?"

Riku was once again relieved when Sora decided on ice cream... but he was also disappointed. It was for the best though. He stood up straight again as Sora let him go, and then he was asked what  _ he  _ wanted... A kiss? More than that? Ha- Yeah, in his dreams... Not even then, apparently, actually. He had avoided looking at Sora the whole time, but when he did he found himself smiling at the boy’s usual grin. He crossed his arms. "I want you..." he paused, and then internally grimaced at the unfortunate timing of it. "To buy me that new earring they got in Twilight Town," he said finally, with a small satisfied smile, forcing himself not to think about how things had  _ almost _ taken a horrible, wonderful turn for him. Were his ears pierced? No. Were they going to be once he got something with as OP stats as that thing? Yes, yes they were.

Sora laughed at Riku's request, having kind of expected something like that. "Pulling out the big guns as always, eh, Riku?" he teased, and now he'd wished he'd asked for that kiss. That earring was expensive. Affordable, but expensive. "All right. Oh, hey, looks like Kairi's done! Your turn!" Sora announced as his friend climbed down from the machine. He moved behind Riku and grabbed him by the shoulders, pushing him towards the Ice Cream Beat machine. They were gonna figure out right now which one of them was better at making ice cream!

Naminé watched the small exchange and sighed. Why did Riku do this to himself? If only he would let Sora make him happy... She turned back to Roxas and gave a tired smile. "Then what is the point?" Obviously, she couldn't help him if she didn't know what was wrong. Though, this conversation would be a bit easier to have somewhere more private. She wasn't sure how much she could get Roxas to share, even with her, if Sora and Riku might overhear...

Roxas looked up and over at his two friends, then back down to his hands, muttering the excuse of, "It's complicated..." He couldn't explain his feelings to Naminé in front of  _ Sora _ of all people. Heck, he probably couldn't have explained them if they'd been alone together... This was all so weird and confusing... Roxas probably did need advice, but he had no idea who he should really ask about the situation... It was just so...  _ complicated _ .

Naminé followed Roxas’ gaze, looking over her shoulder at Lea and Xion. Fortunately for Roxas, Naminé was one smart cookie, and it didn't take a whole lot for her to figure things out on her own. Really, she was surprised she hadn't figured it out sooner, now that she realized what was going on... She looked back at Roxas with a small smile. "I understand," she said. Having your heart pulled in two different directions must be painful... Unfortunately, she wasn't entirely sure what to tell him in this situation... "Well, at least you know how one of them feels..." she said. After all, that might make the decision for him. She hadn't personally interacted with Xion enough to know what was in her heart, she had only really ever interacted with some of the memories that had slipped away inside her before they had all been restored...

Roxas sighed and his shoulders slumped. So, Naminé had figured it out... Well, at least that meant he had someone he could ask about stuff now...? Even if she was  _ also _ Sora... Why were there so many Soras. "Yeah, but that's the problem... I  _ only _ know how one of them feels..." Roxas admitted quietly, watching Lea and Xion talk about... whatever they were talking about. He couldn't quite hear them from here, but it looked like they might've been trying to join the angst corner or something. To be honest, Roxas really wouldn't put it past Lea to purposefully make himself sad so he'd be justified in coming over... Although, it wasn't like Lea didn't get legitimately sad sometimes... The guy could get really lonely... And then there was Xion. "And... Is it even  _ right _ for me to want...?" Roxas added even more quietly, trailing off before he actually said Xion's name. Belatedly he realized that while he'd said it in a way that made it sound like there was another word to that sentence, it wasn't necessarily clear to anyone else what that word  _ was _ . But, Naminé would figure it out, right...?

Naminé blinked at Roxas' last comment. Ah, so that was bothering him too... She supposed it made sense, but...  "You're both your own people," she said, though despite that she was thinking Roxas' feelings only made sense, since Xion was in a way Kairi just as she was Sora, but... She looked down. She had never really thought about it that way before.  _ Was _ it wrong...? She didn't think it was... Naminé obviously had her own feelings for Sora, after all, even if she would never act on them... Somewhat hypocritically, with how she kept pushing Riku to not do the same... but... She found herself glancing at Kairi as well. "...How can love be wrong, Roxas?" she finally said.

Roxas blinked and looked up at Naminé as he listened to her answer. A small smile formed on his face as her words sunk in. He then turned his gaze back to his friends, glad to see that they had found some way to be happy, too. "Yeah, I guess you're right... Thanks, Naminé," he said. Yeah, maybe he was just overthinking things... Something would work out in the end, it might take time, but something would work out.

"You’re welcome, Roxas." She smiled sweetly at the boy. Naminé was glad she could help, even if now she felt a little unsure of herself. "If you're feeling better now, you should go back to them," she said. She looked over her shoulder at them again. Yes, they seemed to be fine now, and Roxas was in a better mood too... She wasn't sure how things would work out, someone might wind up with their heart broken... but she hoped it would all be okay.

Roxas nodded in answer to Naminé's suggestion. "Are you gonna be all right?" he asked her as he stood to go over to his friends. He didn't want to just leave her there by herself, after all... He was torn whether or not he should invite her over to hang out with him and the rest of the Seasalt Trio. Well... She had helped him, a lot actually, and maybe she could act as a buffer to get Lea to not immediately flirt with him again... Either way, Naminé deserved to have some fun, too. "Actually, why don't you come with me? Come on, it'll be fun," he suggested, smiling at the girl.

Naminé was momentarily surprised but the offer, but then smiled sweetly at him. "Alright," she consented, ever grateful to be included in things. Besides, this way she could keep an eye on them all and hopefully be able to help more... She could figure out Xion's feelings on the matter too... Of course if she felt the same way as Roxas then... she really wouldn't know what to do...

***

Riku let himself get pushed awkwardly towards the machine- it was fairly normal for Sora to do something like that after all. "Alright, alright! Sheesh, I didn't know you were so eager to lose, Sora," he said with a smirk. He climbed onto the machine without another word. This couldn't be that hard, right?

Sora just grinned. "We'll see who loses," he challenged as he watched Riku climb up the machine. Truth be told, Sora almost hoped he lost so he wouldn't regret not asking for something more than just another round of ice cream. What a missed opportunity that would've been.

Kairi smiled at her friends as Sora practically pushed Riku up the game. "You guys made another bet, huh?" she asked, taking Sora's beaming face as her confirmation.

Meanwhile Terra was perfectly content to snuggle and eat ice cream with his friends. And Riku... Riku was unfortunately finding out he was very bad at rhythm games...

Riku hopped off the machine. He was blushing again. It wasn't like he actually cared that much that he lost but... he had lost so  _ badly _ . He was never going to Atlantica. Ever. He rubbed the back of his head and walked over to Sora and Kairi, face trained on the floor. "...I guess I owe you some ice cream..." he admitted, though he had no intention of alerting Sora to exactly what the gap in their scores had been. Still, he gave the boy a small smile, it was just ice cream, so it would be fine, right?

Kairi smiled at Riku while Sora pouted. "Aw man! The one day I win twice in a row and I wasted my prize on ice cream," he whined, though it wasn't clear if it was just playful whining or actual dejection. He did seem like he legitimately regretted relenting on Riku earlier, though. Figures, the one time he was practically relying on Riku to win he actually lost... Man, Riku must be  _ really _ bad at rhythm games!

Riku watched Sora and... oh. He looked down at the floor. So Sora really... He really wanted... His face was of course red  _ once again.  _ He didn't want to see Sora upset but... what did he do?  _ Nothing.  _ He scolded himself. But... He looked back up at Sora and... He... But... He was going to regret this, so much.  _ So much.  _ He grabbed Sora by the wrist. "Come on," he instructed, and then he was pulling his friend away and around the corner of a building. He certainly wasn't going to do this where people could see...

Kairi watched Sora and Riku disappear around the corner with a raised eyebrow, but then she giggled behind her hand. It was about time those two got around to doing things together... Smirking privately to herself, Kairi locked her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth on her heels, waiting patiently for her friends to return.

Sora allowed Riku to pull him behind the corner of the building, but he was confused. "Huh? This isn't the way to the ice cream shop," Sora half-asked, raising an eyebrow at his friend. Despite the schemes Sora sometimes came up with, at times he was still completely clueless. Besides, this was Riku, it wasn't like Riku would actually do anything like kiss him, he liked Kairi...

"That's not... what you want," Riku said vaguely. He turned to face Sora and... he hesitated of course, but he had already gone this far... Before he let himself change his mind or Sora question him further he just went for it, leaning down and kissing the boy on the lips without another word. This was... wow.  _ Wow. _ He... He should stop now this was enough, but... this was... probably the only time he would ever... And then for the first time in 2 years, Riku actually lost his self control, giving in to old,  _ dark _ impulses. In seconds he was pushing Sora against the nearest vertical surface and pinning him there, forcing his tongue into the boy's mouth and kissing him senseless. He eventually pulled away to go at Sora's neck, but the loss of contact was enough to bring his senses back. He stopped and pulled away from Sora entirely, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and looking away. "Well, you got your kiss," he said, and then just walked away.

Sora was completely stunned. As soon as he realized Riku was going to kiss him he smiled and leaned up slightly, eagerly awaiting his new prize. Oh yeah, this was  _ so _ much better than ice cream. Actually, Riku kind of tasted a little like ice cream, and... And then the wind was knocked out of him as Riku's tongue was practically shoved down his throat. A whimper involuntarily left him as he brought his hands up and grabbed at Riku's shirt to... To what? Push Riku off? Hold him closer? He'd expected a chaste kiss on the lips, not  _ this _ , not something that felt so... amazing... And then abruptly it was over. Sora barely registered what Riku said when he began walking away. He... Woah.

Riku was  _ disgusted _ with himself. How could he do that? How could he just... let himself go like that? He was supposed to have perfect control over his darkness now, and yet, he just let it take over... Everything had been like it had 2 years ago... That was something he had once seriously considered doing, just before they'd left the islands. But he never had, and then everything... and then now... He was supposed to be  _ better _ than this. He... he wanted to... No, he shouldn't, even if he deserved it, he'd finally stopped and it was unhealthy, but...

Sora held a hand to his lips as he stared up at where Riku used to be. Used to be? Oh no, Riku! "R... Riku, wait!" he called after his friend, pushing himself off the wall and beginning to run after him.

Riku stopped, automatically. He should have kept going, just removed himself from the situation, but it was  _ Sora  _ so he... "...What?" he asked, not turning around, not even looking at him. How could he? Sora probably just wanted an explanation, not that he could really give him one... Was he mad? He deserved to be, after all. If Sora wanted to yell at him then he'd take it, if it made him feel better...

Sora grabbed Riku's wrist to make sure he wouldn't run away. He didn't want him to run away. He wanted... "...Do that again," he requested before he had a chance to second guess himself. Between the kiss and the running he was still out of breath, and honestly he was a little out of it. Sora probably didn't actually have the grounds to ask for that again because that was a prize for winning the ice cream game, but he... He didn't want Riku to go away and not do that anymore and if he didn't get Riku to do that again he might go away and not... do that again... Yeah, his brain still wasn't back in gear quite yet, but there would be time for getting it back in gear when Riku wasn't fleeing.

Riku finally turned around to face Sora. "I-  _ what?"  _ He blushed  _ again _ and stuttered. Sora...  _ what? _ That didn't make any sense! He had just... Sora should be angry with him not... Did that mean that Sora... His heart was beating wildly in his chest. But... it didn't matter... Sora.... deserved better than him, even if he thought this was what he wanted, he was wrong. It hurt, it hurt  _ so much _ , but he... should do the right thing, for Sora's sake. He looked down at the ground sadly. "...You don't want that," he said softly.

"You don't get to tell me what I want!" Sora insisted, pulling lightly on Riku's wrist and looking up at him with worried eyes. He wasn't sure about a lot of things, but he  _ was _ sure that he didn't want Riku to run away, and Riku would run away if things kept going the way they were. And Riku was blushing, so... Well, how could Riku have not wanted to kiss him if he'd kissed like  _ that _ ? Getting Riku to kiss him would make him stay now, right? "So... Just kiss me again, okay?"

"...No, Sora..." Riku glanced up and then looked away again. He tried to softly pull his hand free- there wasn't much force to it, the last thing he wanted was to actually fight Sora... "...I shouldn't have done that, I'm sorry." He just... wanted to leave. And be by himself. He couldn't face Sora after what he did, knowing that Sora... might actually...

Sora pouted up at Riku. Why was he always like this... How many times was he gonna have to chase after him to get him to take the hint? He cared a lot about his friends, both Kairi  _ and _ Riku! If Riku went away, he'd just be so sad... Well, if Riku wouldn't kiss him, he'd have to kiss Riku instead! Sora darted forward and grabbed Riku by his shirt, trying to pull him down and standing on his tiptoes so he could bring their lips together again. If he could prove to Riku that he really had wanted to kiss him, maybe he could get Riku to not go away again...

Riku was caught off-guard and easily pulled down into Sora's kiss, eyes wide and face red. "Mm-" He was stunned for a moment, but this time he didn't give in- he couldn't. He just couldn't do that again... He pulled away, pushing Sora back by the shoulders. He looked at Sora for a moment. "Sora I..." but then let his gaze drop to the floor. "I don't feel that way about you," he lied. A complete  _ lie. _ He loved him, so much, more than anything, but Sora deserved so much better... "I shouldn't have led you on. I'm sorry." He let go of Sora's shoulders and pulled away, turning around and making to leave again.

Sora was heartbroken. The shock of the rejection pierced his heart like a lance through a window. He... He'd been so  _ sure _ , especially after Riku's kiss before... Sora stared at Riku's once again retreating form, the absolute heartbreak unhidden in his sorrow-filled eyes. "Ri... ku..." Sora muttered helplessly, a single tear falling from his eyes. Why...? He'd... been so  _ sure _ ...

Riku, of course, didn't see the look in Sora's eyes. He heard his name, but he knew... he... he shouldn't turn around. He should just leave. It would be easier for them this way... It... He knew he was hurting Sora, but it was for his own good. Sora deserved someone better than him. Sora was just... so  _ perfect,  _ and he was so  _ broken. _ He didn't want to drag Sora down with him, so it was just better if he pushed him away... Sora didn't know what he was talking about. He would be so much happier with Kairi... He just up and left Sora at that point. He wasn't going to stop him if he tried to follow him, but he really wanted to be alone right now. He'd just find another alleyway and... Everyone else was having fun, he was sure he wouldn't be too missed. He'd be back before they had to leave...

Riku left, leaving the alley in the opposite direction the group had been. He found a nice secluded corner, leaned against the wall, slid down it and just... cried. He tried to wipe the tears away but they just kept coming. That had been so hard, but it was for the best... for  _ Sora. _

***

Back in the square while tragedy struck just beyond, Roxas smiled and led Naminé over to where Lea and Xion were excitedly talking about ridiculous things. "Hey guys. Whatcha talking about?" he asked, obvious to both of them that he'd calmed down from before. Yeah, he'd just needed some space to get over... some rather ridiculous mental images.

"We're gonna make Cakedom Hearts!" Xion responded cheerily, the fires of a passion for ice cream burning in her eyes. She was practically  _ glowing _ she was so proud of herself. This cake was gonna be awesome.

Roxas just stared blankly at the girl. "Cakedom... what?"

"Cakedom Hearts," Lea began to explain. "It is the heart of all cakes. It shall be crafted with 13 tiny dark chocolate keys and 7 white chocolate ones. Also it will be made of ice cream," he said, acting overly serious on purpose. Xion nodded sagely in agreement.

Naminé giggled. "I see," she offered, glad everyone on this side of the square was having a good time. The fact that everyone had calmed down so quickly was a good sign. There was hope. "And how exactly are you going to make it?" she asked with a chuckle, knowing neither of them knew their way around a kitchen.

"We were gonna see if we could get Dilan or Aqua to help us make it, since Dilan works in the kitchen and Aqua helped with the cake earlier today. I... think... She knows how to cook at least," Xion answered Naminé. Xion had no illusions that she would be capable of making a cake on her own. And Lea might actually wind up burning the kitchen down, even though they were going to be working with ice cream...

Roxas smiled and hummed in thought. "Well, if we can't convince either of them we can probably recruit Ienzo to our side. He seemed to really like cake and he's good at getting people to do stuff, right?" he suggested. Besides, Ienzo knew Dilan way better than any of them did. Aqua would still probably be easy to recruit, but Dilan was the one actually in control of the kitchen. He too was well aware Lea tended to get physically thrown out of places by the man...

"That's true! He's always had a sweet tooth..." Lea said, smiling at Roxas. Yeah, he wanted to flirt with him again, but even he knew it was better to ease back into that at a time like this. "If we can actually recruit Dilan this will be super easy. Working with fondant is supposed to be super hard..." he explained, unsure if the others knew what fondant was... or why  _ he _ knew what it was, for that matter. But it was what they would have to make the keys out of, probably. And other decorations... Or maybe they could make the keys out of bar chocolate? But then they would have to make a mold...

Naminé smiled brightly, pressing her fingertips together in front of her. "I'm sure we can figure it out!" She was just happy everyone was getting along. Nothing like cake and ice cream to bring people together, it seemed.

Roxas and Xion nodded in time, agreeing about recruiting Dilan being the easiest route. Xion was about to say something else before she noticed the ice cream game was sitting idle and empty, waiting for its next player. "Hey guys, the game's free! One of you should go play!" she announced, bouncing up and down. Idly she wondered if her own ice cream was ready, but she wanted to try it with all her friends at once. She'd wait until they were all done before she went to check on ice cream.

Lea looked at Roxas and smirked at the revelation. "Well Roxas, do you want to go first, or should I?" His tone hinted at the promise of their bet, but he didn't address it directly, not yet. He had, of course, no intention of losing. And if and  _ when _ he won he would definitely claim his prize, no matter what just happened. If Roxas _ really  _ protested he'd stop of course, but he really didn't think he would... really hoped....

Roxas smirked at Lea. "I'll go first, that way you can see how bad you're gonna lose," Roxas taunted before hurrying over to the game. Yeah, he wasn't gonna lose to Lea. Well... Nope! Wasn't gonna think about it! Wasn't gonna lose!

Xion grinned as she watched Roxas go play the game. "How do you think he's gonna do?" she asked her friends. Honestly she hoped he lost, and that Lea lost too; she wanted her kisses after all! Sora'd gotten his, it wouldn't be fair if she didn't get hers!

Lea grinned at Xion. "Dunno, but we're gonna do better!" he declared. He honestly had no idea how good Roxas would be... Well, both Xion and Sora had done well, and Ven was supposed to be really good too, so... Well, maybe it was good that he was going first then so he'd know how hard he have to try. He'd hung around enough with Demyx, this shouldn't be  _ too _ hard.

Xion nodded happily and waited for Roxas to finish his round. "Once we're done we should go see what all our flavors are like!" Xion suggested to the group. Having not asked their newest member this question yet, Xion turned to Naminé and asked, "What kind of flavor are you going to try and make, Naminé?"

Naminé smiled at Xion. "I don't know if it's possible, but I was thinking I could make Paopu flavor..." she said a bit shyly, locking her hands behind their back. She still didn't know how the whole process worked, and didn't know if they had ingredients that would work to make something like that... but she would still try!

Xion smiled brightly at Naminé. "That sounds cool! I've never had anything paopu flavored, I hope you manage to do it!" she said cheerily. That was definitely a unique flavor, she wanted to try it. Well, this was Xion, so she wanted to try  _ all _ the ice cream, but that went without saying.

Roxas came back to the group, smiling sheepishly once he got back. "Well, your go, Lea. If you don't do really good Xion's gonna win our bet," he announced, scratching the back of his head in a relatively Sora-like way. He'd done good, but he hadn't quite managed to beat Xion. That was okay, though. It wasn't like  _ only he _ had to kiss Xion if he and Lea both lost to her, so...

"We'll see! Just you watch!" Lea declared as he left for the machine, climbing up on it. He was, well... This was not designed for someone as tall as him, but he would deal.

Naminé smiled brightly. "Thank you! I hope it works out too." She looked over at Lea playing the game and back. "I'm really hope you win Xion," she said, and she meant that, it seemed like that would be the... least drama-inducing outcome of their bet.

Xion grinned at Naminé. "So do I. If I win Roxas and Lea have to kiss me on the cheek!" she announced proudly, missing Roxas looking away in embarrassment. It wasn't as strong as the embarrassment he showed when Lea teased him, but then again Xion's request was much more innocent-seeming than Lea's. But Lea still had a chance of winning, even if Roxas had failed in doing so. Thinking about that, Xion looked back to see if she could figure out how Lea was doing.

Naminé chuckled. "I see. Well, I'm sure that will be fun." Yes, Xion winning would definitely be for the best then... unless Lea and Roxas decided to give prizes for the silver medal... Things might still get messy then. Hopefully it would be fine...

Lea hopped off the machine finally. He was... really disappointed. He walked over to the others, pouting. He looked at each of them in turn, ending on Roxas, and then looked away. He crossed his arms. "...Yeah well, I'll get you next time!" he said. He was a lot more upset about it than he'd let on though, he lost his chance to woo Roxas...

"Yay, I won!" Xion cheered, ignoring Lea's disappointment because of her own joy. She was going to get her prize, and Lea and Roxas were going to kiss her on the cheek! Well, she hoped they would and not back out of the bet... Not letting on to her distressed thought, Xion proudly announced, "According to the bet I now get kisses on the cheek."

Roxas chuckled, amused at Xion's antics. For some reason she was less embarrassing to hear things like that from... Maybe she was just more innocent, and that was why... "Well, a bet's a bet," Roxas conceded, gesturing to Lea before leaning over and kissing Xion on the cheek. She was obviously pleased with herself, but Roxas trusted Xion not to make all that big of a deal out of it...

Lea smiled at Xion. Well, he certainly didn't want to rain on her parade. And watching Roxas lean over and peck her was adorable, so that lifted his spirits a bit. He was, however, going to make a big deal out of it, for himself at least. "My dear Xion!" he said dramatically, dropping to one knee, holding one hand over his heart and the other out to her. "You have bested me fairly, and so I must give you your due reward." He took her hand and kissed that first, then grinned up at her. "The  _ great honor _ of a kiss from the amazing Lea!" And with that he finally leaned up and kissed her on the cheek.

Xion beamed at Roxas' kiss and giggled helplessly at Lea's overdramatic antics. "You're such a dork," she chided, smiling widely at her friend. She'd gotten ice cream, games,  _ and _ kisses on the cheek from her dearest friends? Could this day  _ get _ any better? Sure there'd been a few... hiccups... But everything was fine now! Even Roxas was back to acting normal. Yeah, this was the good life. All of a sudden it occurred to her no one was playing the game, and thus Xion turned to Naminé and alerted her, "Hey, Naminé, I think it's your turn!"

Roxas looked around at that and noticed something a bit odd. "Hey, where did everyone go? Other than us I only see Kairi..." he said, debating running over to her to see if she knew anything. Well, maybe people had started going into the ice cream shop for a decent seat to wait their turn in and eat ice cream in the meantime? He hoped that was all there was to it, because suddenly he had a bad feeling...

Naminé smiled at Xion. "Ok." But before she had a chance to make for the machine, Roxas made his comment. She had a bad feeling about this... Hopefully Riku hadn't done anything he'd regret. "...I don't know..." she answered softly.

Lea stood up. "Well that's no fun! They're going to miss all the ice cream!" he said. Sora and Riku had taken their turns, but the others hadn't yet. And with what had just happened and Riku sulking in a corner he couldn't say he wasn't a bit worried something had happened himself.

"I'll go see if Kairi knows, go ahead and take your turn, Naminé," Roxas said, hurrying over to talk to Kairi. They'd at least have to find the Wayfinder Trio so that the three of them could take their turns... Though, apparently those three already had their own ice cream flavors. That didn't mean they couldn't make more, right?

Xion was now also starting to look a little concerned, but she would wait until Naminé went to play to voice anything. After all, it wasn't fair if Naminé didn't have a good time because she was worried about something that turned out to be nothing! Pushing aside her concern for a moment, Xion smiled brightly at Naminé and insisted, "Don't worry about it, Naminé, I'm sure everything's fine. Roxas is right, go ahead and take your turn. I really wanna see what your flavor is like!"

Naminé smiled at Xion. "You're probably right. I'll go then." And with that she made her way over to the machine and clambered onto it.

Lea shouted to her, "Have fun Naminé! Good luck," and then he turned to Xion. "Congratulations on your win, Xion. I really mean it." He smiled warmly. Well, he was disappointed he didn't win, but maybe... this was for the best. He should go earn that kiss the old fashioned way.

"Thanks," Xion beamed up at Lea. "I hope my ice cream is as good as my prize! But..." At that, Xion's expression fell a little, and she looked over to Naminé to be sure she was well out of earshot before looking back to Lea. "I've got a bad feeling about Sora... Maybe we should go look for them or something? I don't wanna not do anything and then find out Xehanort kidnapped them or something..." she said, worry obvious in her voice. After the attack earlier, she was really worried about people wandering off on their own...

Lea frowned. "Yeah, you have a point..." He had assumed there was drama, but they had just been attacked... What if they had come back? That would be bad. They probably shouldn't have split up...

Kairi, meanwhile, was worriedly talking to Roxas. After being asked if she knew where everyone else was, she informed him, "Well, I know Aqua and the others went into the ice cream shop earlier, but Sora and Riku wandered off somewhere. They've been gone for longer than I expected them to be..." Hopefully that meant good things and not bad...

Roxas hummed as he considered Kairi's words. "You stay here, I'll go look for Sora and Riku. No offense, but they'll probably react better to being caught by me than you," he suggested, waiting for her nod before running off. He really hoped everyone was okay... But if they weren't, they were gonna have some serious trouble on their hands...

***

And unfortunately for everyone, that would wind up being exactly what happened. Xehanort, the youngest one of course, had left again when he had finished changing the sheets and cleaning up after Vanitas. He had made the mistake of thinking he had waited long enough for his friends to finish with their... affair when he went to check on Vanitas’ injuries, and had heard the boy screaming from  _ down the hall _ . He didn't want to deal with that at all, so to get his mind off things he decided to return to Disney Town and check up on the aftermath, collect more information... and oh, he was  _ so glad _ he had. He had seen  _ the entire scene _ between Sora and Riku from where he was on the roof. This was  _ perfect.  _ Sora was emotionally vulnerable, alone, and his knight was too busy licking his own wounds to stop him...


	19. Rebounding Directly into Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone needs to tell Sora Dark Silvered-Haired Boys are not interchangeable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The SoXeha, it finally begins.

Carefully, the youngest Xehanort descended from the roof and walked up behind Sora, wrapping his arms around behind the boy and wiping the tears from his eyes. "Don't cry, Sora," he said softly, burying his face into brown spikes. He would have to be careful if he was going to play this right, but for a change it seemed _everything_ was in his favor. How poetic that Riku would be the one to push Sora into the abyss while trying to spare him of it...

Sora jolted and spun around, pulling away from Xehanort but not going far. He stared with wide, still-teary eyes at the new silver-haired man, looking at gold eyes instead of blue. Blue eyes belonged to Riku... But Riku had left him... Riku didn't want him... "...Xehanort!" Sora shouted many moments later than appropriate, holding his hands to summon his keyblades... but they didn't come. He stared at Xehanort, but it was clear he was distracted, and his heart was _aching_ . He didn't want to deal with this right now... Why couldn't he just be left alone? But... Alone is what Riku left him... Sora didn't _want_ to be alone...

"I saw everything that happened, Sora." Xehanort reached out and gently took one of the keybladeless hands in his own. "You deserve better than that," he said, smiling softly, _sympathetically._ He took a step closer, this time bringing a hand to rest on the boy's face, oh so softly. "...I could take care of you," he finally said, looking deeply into Sora's eyes. The expression on his face was serene, but his heart was positively _racing_.

Sora stared up at Xehanort, not reacting to the other boy taking his hand. Another tear rolled down his cheek as the wrong silver-haired man looked at him the way he'd wanted _Riku_ to look at him... The more he thought about Riku the more his heart shattered. He... He'd always thought good was pleasure and darkness brought only pain, but... Here Xehanort was, consoling him... No, the dark was evil, Darkness hurt people... Darkness made Riku reject him... Xehanort was only here because... "...You only want me so you can use my body..." he muttered, continuing to stare at Xehanort in sorrow. Sora should've pulled away, should've fought him or run to find his friends, but... If he did that, they would ask about Riku... Once again, a piece of Sora's heart fractured.

Xehanort's lip twitched up into a smirk for a brief moment. He had been spending _far_ too much time with Vanitas it seemed. "Well, yes, but not only in the way you think," he found himself unable to stop himself from saying. Yes, _much, much_ too much time with Vanitas. Oh well... Before he let Sora soak that in - it would probably take the boy a moment, he might not even understand the innuendo - he explained the question before it was asked by claiming the boy's lips.

Sora jolted again, the kiss having been completely unexpected. This one was different, kinder-feeling than the first, which had been with... Nearly every thought wound up breaking Sora's heart more and more. In the Realm of Sleep he'd been able to keep fighting against the darkness because he knew Riku was helping him do it, but now Riku... Sora relaxed slightly and closed his eyes halfway, not having the energy nor the desire to pull away from Xehanort. Was this real...? Had they just kept being in the Realm of Sleep all this time, and it had all just been a dream up until now...? He didn't think it was a dream, it hurt too much to be a dream... If it was a dream, Riku would still be with him...

Xehanort's thumb stroked over Sora's cheek gently. He... hadn't expected himself to enjoy kissing him so much... He had planned to play a part, but it seemed... perhaps... he might learn a greater truth to his obsession with the hero of light. Well, just another thing turned to his favor, in the end. He finally pulled away. "I care for you deeply, Sora. If you come with me, I can make it all go away. You can forget the boy who betrayed you, and the pain he caused..." he softly spoke the honey words to the broken boy. Perhaps he should have spent more time working up to the final offer, but Sora hadn't even resisted being _kissed_ by him. He had already probably won. For a change, he found himself thanking Riku.

Sora looked up at Xehanort again, another lone tear falling down his cheek. Honestly, he was barely even listening to the words the man was saying, still too caught up in the thoughts of his own heartbreak. He wanted it to be Riku saying those things, but Riku would never say those things, Riku didn't... feel the same way he did about Riku... All that time together... Riku really did only care about Kairi the whole time, didn't he... That's why he had never been around, and kept running away... He and Kairi were probably together now... If Sora couldn't even be with _Kairi_ then... "You can make the pain stop...?" he asked quietly, the sorrow in his eyes carrying just a spark of hope. A broken heart was easy to lead astray, it seemed.

"Oh Sora..." Xehanort said, looking sad. He did, actually, feel a bit sorry for the boy. His heart had been completely _shattered_. But it would work out in the end, for him at least. "I'll make it all stop. I want to see you smile again Sora, please don't cry." He wrapped up the boy in his arms, pressing his head to his chest. "I'll take care of you. You'll want for nothing." He rubbed Sora's back comfortingly. To put the final nail in the coffin, he mumbled. "I'll love you if you let me..."

Sora listened to Xehanort's comforting words, the tone reaching him more than the words themselves. His chest ached, and he just wanted the pain to stop... Sora stared off into the distance as Xehanort pressed him to his chest, his will to fight back completely absent. What was the point of fighting back if he couldn't be with Riku... And Xehanort's promises were just so sweet... "...Okay..." Sora finally relented, barely even aware he was still talking. Anything... Anything to make the pain go away...

"Sora!" And, as usual, Roxas was too late to the party. While he'd previously just been jogging, once Roxas noticed Xehanort was holding Sora captive he broke out into a full-on sprint and charged at their enemy with his keyblade. He _knew_ something had gone wrong! Roxas had to get to Sora before something really bad happened! And... Why wasn't Sora fighting back against Xehanort...?

Xehanort smiled wider perhaps than he ever had before at the single word that passed from Sora's lips. He looked up when Roxas came running in, but nothing could shake him now. "It seems it's time for us to take our leave, my love," he said, creating a Corridor of Darkness behind him and pulling them both through and to the safety of his room.

Roxas swung at empty air. The duo was gone through the Corridor of Darkness before he had a chance to reach them. This was the absolute worst; first Ven had been kidnapped - returned, but kidnapped all the same - and now Sora? Where the heck was Riku?! Roxas cursed and took off full-speed to get back to the others. Ice cream be darned, they had to leave _now_ and find where Xehanort had taken Sora...!

***

Xehanort carefully guided his new... _pet_ to his bed and sat him down on the freshly changed sheets. He sat next to him and rubbed his back softly, being the perfect gentleman he asked, "Is there anything I can get you, Sora?"

Sora stared blankly at the floor as Xehanort guided him to the bed. Passing through the Dark Corridor had been a strange, but familiar, feeling... But it didn't change how empty and broken he felt inside. Sora shook his head in response to Xehanort's question, not sure what was even around much less what would make him feel better. Really, right now he kind of just wanted to curl up on a nice soft bed and sleep... Maybe when he woke up it really _would_ all have just been a bad dream... A nightmare where horrible things like Riku not loving, never having loved him happened...

Xehanort stoked Sora's hair. "Alright..." he said, then gently tilted Sora's chin to look at him. "...May I kiss you again?" he asked, ever twistedly chivalrous. Now that Sora's heart was broken he could take his time putting it back together to be devoted only to _him_.

Sora looked up at Xehanort, but it was almost like he was looking through him. The kid clearly wasn't all there at the moment. He... Did he want Xehanort to kiss him again? He wanted Riku to kiss him again. They were similar, but so very different... For one, Xehanort had really never turned him away, even after Sora's constant rejections. He wasn't sure how much he cared that the guy probably only wanted him to use as a vessel. If that was really all he wanted he wouldn't have asked to kiss him again, though... After a very long moment, Sora finally nodded slightly, not caring enough to keep trying to think of reasons why he should or shouldn't kiss the other boy.

Xehanort smiled softly, then wordlessly leaned in to kiss him again. His lips were so soft, so sweet... He let out a small, quiet, content sigh. He had essentially just gotten everything he wanted in one fell swoop... He slid his hand around to the back of Sora's head, making the kiss deeper than the first. Still, he was gentle; he certainly wanted to do more, but first he would have to coax Sora out of his broken state, lest he break him even further. It wouldn't do to lose his trust because he had been impatient. And he had self control, unlike his... overtly sexual friends.

Sora allowed Xehanort to continue kissing him, his eyes falling shut as the kiss deepened. Objectively he knew how to kiss back, but he'd never done it before personally, and he was in no state of mind to do anything like 'thinking'. With his eyes closed, he could almost pretend Riku was kissing him... That Riku hadn't turned him away and everything was fine and right with the worlds... Xehanort didn't really taste like Riku, though, and that realization was somewhat sobering... But so what. Riku didn't want him, Kairi probably only wanted Riku because why wouldn't she, and... Sora let another tear fall down his cheek. It was okay, Xehanort was going to make the pain go away... It wouldn't hurt like this forever, no matter how much part of him was scared about how exactly Xehanort would accomplish such a feat...

Xehanort pulled away after awhile. Sora wasn't being very responsive, unfortunately, so things were going to take longer than he thought... He saw the boy's tears and kissed them from his eyes. "Please don't cry, Sora," he said softly. "I'm here for you now, I don't want you to be sad..." he whispered, then pulled the boy into another hug, once again tucking his nose into spiky brown hair... It smelled wonderful, he noted. "I will do anything you ask of me, I'll do whatever it takes to make the pain stop and mend your broken heart. If you want, I'll even try to make you forget..." he continued to list sweet promises that were too good to be true. The last one though... Well, maybe his self control was slipping if even just a little; he certainly knew how he _wanted_ to make Sora forget, what that phrase really _meant_ , but that was... too much, for the moment. Sora was very fragile after all. His time with Vanitas was skewing his judgement...

After barely a moment, Sora's arms came up to wrap around Xehanort as he buried his face in the other's chest. He smelled like something Sora couldn't quite place, but it wasn't altogether unpleasant... In a way it almost reminded him of... Sora clung a little tighter as yet another piece of his heart shattered. It was almost ridiculous, how Riku's rejection had nearly killed the light inside of him... As always, Xehanort's promises were oh-so-tempting, luring him into seeking comfort from the man who was supposed to be his mortal enemy. His heart just hurt so much... Sora couldn't stand it, he wanted the pain to go away, he didn't want to feel like this anymore... He didn't really want to feel _anything_... "Make it stop..." Sora begged softly, keeping his face buried soundly against Xehanort's chest. "Just make it all stop..."

Xehanort smiled again as Sora finally properly responded to something he had done. He rocked him softly, holding him soothingly and comforting him. "Of course," he said softly. "Anything you ask..." He held him like that for some time, trying to soothe the boy. Eventually he pulled away just enough to kiss him again- something just long enough not to be a peck. Then a kiss on the cheek, the jaw, the neck... but they were all feather light, closed-mouth kisses. Something pretending to be innocent that really wasn't... Much like himself at the moment. "...What do you want me to do...?" he mumbled softly. If they were going to push things any further, he was going to be sure Sora had asked for it, given him express permission. He couldn't have him resenting him later, after all.

Sora sighed softly and relaxed as Xehanort held him, the soft rocking doing wonders to soothe him. He didn't resist the kisses, but he shuddered slightly at the one on his neck and quickly pressed his face into Xehanort's chest again. No, that was too much too soon, like his first kiss with- "Just... Don't let me go... I don't want to be alone..." he answered Xehanort's question, spurred to speak by a small jolt of panic. It faded quickly as Xehanort held him, however. The arms around him were comforting, made him feel like he wasn't alone, like Xehanort wouldn't leave him... Not like Riku had...

Xehanort leaned up and kissed Sora's forehead this time. "I won't ever let you go, Sora. I love you very much. I'm here now, you won't have to be alone." It was so easy to say whatever Sora wanted to hear. He buried his face in the boy's hair again, rocking them once more. Sora was speaking more, being more responsive in general, that was good. He'd keep putting him back together one step at a time... He hummed quietly, an idle tune, something Jecht had always sung. It would give Sora something else to focus on. He would just keep lulling him into the depths of darkness with the sound of his voice...

Sora relaxed again as Xehanort spoke and rocked them, the small feeling of danger fleeing him. The song he was humming was nice... The brunette was mulling over Xehanort's words; they'd been quite a shock, after all. He'd thought Xehanort - all of the Xehanorts - didn't care about him as a person, and were just interested in gaining his body to use as one of their vessels... But... Sora pulled away from Xehanort slightly so he could look up at him, a tint of hope and desperation in his still sorrow-filled eyes. "Do... you really mean that...?" he asked. He wanted love so badly... But love had left him, shattered his heart to pieces...

Xehanort smiled again. "Yes, I... I think I do," he said, perhaps a bit more honestly than he should have. Though, the small hesitance in his voice would probably only make things seem more real to the other boy. Showing just a bit of weakness would get him to trust him faster, so it would be fine. There was no denying now that, as twisted as it may be, he held some sort of deep affection for Sora. It was more than just lust, otherwise he could have just... But it was certainly wrong to call it _love_ as well. But that was a word Sora would understand, the word he needed so desperately to hear.

Xehanort... A small smile finally began to form on Sora's face at Xehanort's confirmation, a small fraction of his heart healing at the words. It didn't sound like a trick, it sounded like the truth, and even if it was a trick Sora didn't really care. He buried his face in Xehanort's chest again and hugged him a little tighter, fully allowing the other to console him. People didn't hurt the ones they loved, so Xehanort wouldn't hurt him, right? Maybe... Maybe he should've given in to the darkness in the Realm of Sleep after all... At least this way Ven and the others were all out of his heart, so he didn't have to worry about them anymore... He didn't have to worry about any of them anymore...

Xehanort's heart skipped when Sora smiled at him. Only at him, only because of the thing he had said. He held him tighter as well, resting his chin on his head. "Thank you Sora, I would rather see you smile," he said, once again rubbing the boy's back and rocking them. This was... _perfect._ "You deserve so much better. I'll do whatever I can to make you happy. I love you, Sora." The constant declaration of his love seemed to affect the boy more than any other pretty words and promises, so he would continue to repeat it. He wanted him to smile for him again, to hear his voice again, to give his attention only to him... Well, he was really already doing the last one he supposed, but he still wanted a more... meaningful conversation, interaction... but Sora could barely speak in his state, so he would have to be patient.

"Okay..." Sora responded. That smile widened slightly when the silver-haired boy once again professed his love. The boy seemed to be calming down some, being generally more reactive than before, even if he still seemed tired. Another broken shard of his heart slotted back into place; the wrong place, not where it had been before, not in love with Riku. There were still so, so many shards left to heal, his heart having nearly completely shattered. But Sora _wanted_ to heal, he didn't want to hurt like that anymore, and Xehanort wouldn't hurt him like that, Xehanort said he loved him... And he really sounded like he meant it...

Xehanort decided to push his luck. It would be a big step, but the repercussions wouldn't be that great if he failed, so it would be alright. He pulled away and tilted Sora's chin to look him in the eyes. "Will you... love me too, Sora?" he asked, tenderly, with just the slightest shadows of doubt and nervousness tinting his voice. "You don't have to right away, but if you would be willing to try, then I..." he trailed off, rubbing his thumb along Sora's cheek. He smiled softly, sincerely, as he now had so many times at Sora. "But don't worry Sora, no matter what your answer is I'll still love you, take care of you. I'll always love you, Sora..."

Sora stared up at Xehanort with those big blue eyes of his. The question he asked made Sora's heart make a weird loop-de-loop in his chest. He... He couldn't outright say no, couldn't hurt Xehanort the way Riku had hurt him... But... Xehanort himself said he didn't have to love him now, as long as he would try, and wasn't trying the least he could do to repay him for trying to put his heart back together after Riku had ripped it to shreds? "I..." Sora began, but then he looked away. _Could_ he love Xehanort? Xehanort was supposed to be his enemy, but... But he'd been wrong about who was supposed to be his enemy before... People like Demyx, and Lea, and all of them... Maybe... Maybe this whole time he'd had it wrong... "I can't promise I'll succeed, but... I'm willing to try..." he finally decided. If it was the only way he could acquire love, it would be worth it... Wouldn't it...?

And then it was Xehanort's heart doing loop-de-loops. He smiled broadly again; well, broadly for him, which still wasn't very, but still. "You made me very happy Sora. Thank you." Oh, and wasn't that the truth. He was _ecstatic._ Surely it would be a simple task now to make the boy fall for him, if not time consuming, when he was now the only thing in his whole world that was stable. He kissed him softly again, but not too long this time. Then he took Sora's hand and began kissing each knuckle in turn. "You are my sun, my moon, my stars. I will lay all the worlds at your feet, and we can walk this path together," he professed. Yes, it was very easy to give Sora the things he wanted, say what he wanted to hear. It almost came naturally...

Sora pressed softly into their kiss, but didn't complain when they parted. By the end of Xehanort's latest profession he was actually _giggling_. "You would make a good poet," Sora told him, offering him a sadness-stained version of his usual grin. It was clear he wasn't back to normal, not by a long shot, but... He was healing. Xehanort would help him with that. Why wouldn't he? He loved him after all... With as broken as he had been before, Sora wasn't really thinking of all the potential problems this relationship could cause, both for him and for everyone back at Disney Town and Radiant Garden. What did they matter... What did Riku matter... The only love he had was right in front of him...

Xehanort lit up at the sound of Sora's laughter. "What a beautiful sound... You should laugh more, Sora," he said, smiling up at the other boy. This was so easy... Almost too easy, he was starting to ask himself what the catch would be, but he tried to ignore that. Sora had kissed him _back_ this time, that was... He shifted their hands so the fingers were laced together, squeezing reassuringly. His other hand stroked Sora's cheek. "I want you to be happy," he said, but then his smile fell a fraction and he looked away. "But... I understand that cannot be easy for you now..." His gaze returned to Sora, looking out of the corner of his eye. "Still, I would like to... try. To see you smile." He let his eyes drift away again when he finished speaking. The mock vulnerability would surely only pull Sora closer to him.

Indeed, Sora felt his heart pull towards Xehanort when the other boy's smile fell. He did his best to put on a smile for Xehanort, though it still wasn't as bright as before his heart was broken. Everything he did was still tainted with sadness and the feeling of betrayal, and that would take a while still to heal. "I'll try," he promised, and it was sincere. Sora wanted more than anything to be happy again. And if Xehanort was willing to help him get back to that place, well, all the better. The shards of his heart still longed for Riku, for what his lifelong best friend had said to have been a lie, but... He couldn't bear discovering Riku's words had been sincere. Again. Xehanort's were enough for him right now. Maybe Sora just had a thing for darkness-tainted guys with silver hair...

Xehanort smiled again. "Thank you, Sora." Perfect. Sora already had sympathy for him. "It hurts me to see you like this... Although I know it's wrong of me, a part of me is still happy this happened, because we can finally be together." Well, more than a part of him was, he was _reveling_ in this. Still, he shared a fraction of the truth with Sora, to bind him closer to him, to let the boy know it wasn't all just too good to be true, to let him know it was real. "You've seen the light now, and it only hurt you, so come sink into the shadows with me..." As he spoke he leaned in closer, by the end their lips were just a few hairs’ widths apart. He had kissed Sora many times, yes, but if he could coax Sora into kissing _him_... Well, that would be another nail in the coffin.

At first Sora looked away, the word 'finally' causing his mind to run through all of the memories from the Realm of Sleep. Had Xehanort loved him even then...? Had... Had he hurt Xehanort the way Riku had hurt him...? The thought made Sora feel terrible. But there was a part of him, a small shard of light that was screaming this was a trap. Xehanort's words couldn't be the truth, not the full truth, and neither had Riku's. It begged him to cling to love and light and not abandon his friends for momentary relief from heartache. That everything would be okay if he just pushed Xehanort away and went back home. Sora wanted to _smother_ it. No longer hesitating, Sora turned back to Xehanort and closed the distance between them, gently pressing their lips together of his own volition. The cries of the light only hurt, Riku had only rejected him once he'd found the light in himself, it was better to sink into a velvety abyss...

Xehanort had to suppress a shiver, that had been _incredibly_ satisfying. He found himself wrapping his arms around Sora and kissing him deeper, slow and sensual, he was having a hard time containing himself... He would snuff out every last speck of light within Sora, paint his heart black, and keep him all to himself. He was _his_ now. He had given himself freely, ran crying right into his arms... and now he would never let him go. Tentatively, he pushed the boundary again, letting his tongue slip out and brush across soft, velvety lips. If it was too much for Sora he would stop, of course, and apologize, but he... he wanted it so _badly_ right now, just to taste him that little bit more. He wouldn't push things too far, but surely at least this much was alright...

Sora shuddered lightly at the feelings caused by the kiss, clinging tightly to Xehanort. He was torn, though; a kiss too passionate would remind him of the one with Riku, but... Maybe... Maybe a passionate kiss with Xehanort could overwrite that memory? With that thought in mind, Sora opened his mouth to the other boy just slightly, obviously still nervous about the action. The brunette had zero poker face, after all. For some reason he trusted Xehanort not to hurt him, to stop if he said stop... That was what people who loved you did, right? Love didn't hurt... More shards of his heart twisted and turned black, former love for Riku turning to resentment. You weren't supposed to hurt the people you loved, you were supposed to make them feel safe, and happy... Like how Xehanort was making him feel now...

Xehanort slipped his tongue into the other boy's mouth, taking extra care to be gentle. The kiss was slow, Xehanort being sure not to push Sora into too much too fast. It was nothing like the kiss with Riku- forceful, hungry, and passionate. This kiss was... languid, _savoring._ He traced every corner of the inside of Sora's mouth, then slowly ran his tongue across the other boy's, sliding around and under it in an effort to get Sora to kiss back. He hummed into the kiss quietly. Sora was _clinging_ to him, so he returned the favor, wrapping an arm tightly around Sora's waist and the other hand finding its way into his spiky hair, his thumb gently stroking over the boy's hip. Yes this was... _perfect_ , absolutely _perfect._ Sora tasted so sweet... and a bit like cookies, he noted. Had that been from the ice cream he'd eaten earlier? Well he certainly wasn't going to complain.

The tension eased out of Sora as the kiss wound up nothing like the one with Riku. It was nice and slow, something that Sora could ease himself into. Xehanort definitely didn't taste like Riku, but he wasn't sure if that was just because of the ice cream from earlier or not. Either way, as the kiss went on Sora began to kiss back, slowly learning how by following Xehanort's lead. This felt so nice... It was the way something like this was _supposed_ to be. He was still confused that a being of pure darkness could be so gentle, so caring... Sora had thought those were traits unique to the light. He was so confused where the lines were that he just shut his brain off, electing to enjoy the small pleasure brought to him in the form of a kiss. Everything would be fine, at least for now... Xehanort had said he would take care of him... He wouldn't have to hurt anymore, or be alone, Xehanort said so...

Xehanort hummed into the kiss again, relishing the feeling of Sora's tongue on his own. He was finally kissing him back properly... It felt _wonderful._ He could do this forever... Over time, he slowly let the kiss speed up a little more, but never too much. He had seen how Riku had kissed him, after all. He kissed Sora for a long, _long_ time, drawing it all out as much as he could, but never daring to push the boundaries further than this, not yet. He eventually, reluctantly pulled away, a bit of saliva still strung between their lips. He was panting, and blushing just dark enough for it to be seen over the hue of his skin. That had been... He opened his eyes, and eagerly awaited Sora to do the same. Would they be clouded with pleasure...? It would be so satisfying if they were... "... _Sora..."_ he breathed, the name falling from his lips with more emphasis than he intended. But it was alright, he... A hand came to rest on Sora's cheek again. The things this boy was doing to him...

Sora too was panting, and when his eyes opened they only did so halfway. It took some time and a couple hard blinks to get them to do anything remotely close to focusing. He'd thought Riku's kiss had been amazing, but the one with Xehanort was _better_ , had lasted long enough for him to drown himself in it. Needless to say his face was flushed and words were beyond him in that moment. Sora was exhausted, but this time not from the side effects of a broken heart. He swallowed and tried to say something, but no sound came out, instead only able to use his gaze to convey his thanks. Yeah, this felt so much better than when he'd been clinging to the light...

Oh the look on Sora face was somehow better than he had even imagined. He pecked him chastely on the lips again, unable to help himself. After a moment of just _staring_ at him he finally spoke, at least it had given him time to catch his breath. "...Well Sora, did you forget? Do you feel better now? Did it make the pain go away, even if only for a fleeting moment?" he asked, rubbing his thumb in circles on Sora's cheek. "I will kiss you like that as many times as you want, whenever you want." And then he tipped them back, both of them falling onto the mattress softly with a small bounce. He pulled Sora closer to him now that they were laying down. He was smiling warmly the whole time. "I'll do whatever you ask, I'll take care of you in any way you desire," he promised. "Here, the light won't burn you."

Sora smiled up at Xehanort, a real, sincere smile. "Yeah..." he finally answered, snuggling in against Xehanort. He had forgotten, he had felt better, _did_ feel better... Kissing Xehanort like that, the pain had gone away... Some of it still lingered, but it wouldn't linger forever, not if Xehanort was here with him... He would have to take him up on that offer for kisses sometime. For now, however, Sora was exhausted, and they were already laying down, so... Sora snuggled just a little closer to Xehanort and closed his eyes with the intention of allowing himself to drift off to sleep. Maybe in the morning when the pain wasn't so fresh, he wouldn't remember any of it at all...

Xehanort smiled. Yes, perfect. Sora had accepted him completely... He had been intending to offer to sleep on the floor, but Sora didn't seem to be complaining at all about their current positions, and it may actually be detrimental to let the boy out of his arms, even if it was to be chivalrous. He did shift them around a bit more though when Sora appeared to have decided it was now time for bed, repositioning them so they were laying on the bed more properly without their feet hanging off. He should probably have them both change but... He was used to falling asleep in his clothes, and again Sora didn't seem to want him to leave his side, so this would be fine. He kissed Sora's forehead and then buried his nose in his hair again, holding the boy tightly to him. "Good night, Sora. May you have the sweetest dreams. I love you," he whispered, then closed his own eyes, smiling in satisfaction. He had done it. He pulled Sora down into the abyss with him, he had made him his, made him look at him and only him... He had gotten everything he wanted. And things were _perfect._


	20. LEEEEEEROOOOOOY-

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the author references an old meme while Riku rushes to save Sora from the clutches of darkness... again.  
> Also Roxas tries to be responsible.

Everything was not perfect in Disney Town. Roxas was running full speed back to the square with the horrific news of what had happened. Why had Riku and Sora wandered off on their own after they had  _ just _ gotten attacked?  _ Where the heck was Riku?! _ Turning the corner and nearly falling over from the change in inertia, Roxas screamed, "Guys! Mayday! We've got big trouble!"

Aqua looked up from where she was just about to congratulate Ven on his perfect score in Ice Cream Beat when Roxas came darting back into the town square, out of breath and clearly spooked by something. Immediately her mind jumped to the worst case scenario; they were under attack again. "What's wrong, Roxas? What happened?" she asked, worry evident in her voice.

Roxas panted as he tried to get his breath back, hunching over with his hands on his knees. He looked up at everyone in the square as he shakily relayed, "It's... It's Xehanort. He's got Sora. They went through... a Dark Corridor, I dunno where they are now. Riku was nowhere in sight."

Naminé's hands flew to her mouth. With Riku missing and Sora captured her mind flew to the worst possible conclusion. "You don't think Riku was..." She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

"No way! Don't they need all of us kicking to forge the χ-blade?" Lea tried to reason, but obviously he was worried as well. What the hell had  _ happened? _ Why couldn't their day just stay happy.

"We don't have time to waste, we have to find them!" Terra said, being probably one of the more level-headed people in the group currently. Although he was by no means calm; after all, he had a habit of blaming himself for anything bad that happened to Riku, since it was his fault he had ever been involved... He grabbed Ven by the hand, obviously having  _ no _ intention of leaving the boy by himself, and started running off in the direction Roxas had come from. That is where Sora and Riku had went, right? So they should be able to find Riku that way at least...

Aqua followed after Terra and Ven, intent on not letting either of them fall to Vanitas if he was still lurking around. She called over her shoulder, "Everyone meet back in the square in half an hour!"

Roxas nodded and turned to Lea and Xion. "Come on, we have to go find them!" he said as loudly as he could, but he was still out of breath. They needed to find Riku fast so they could go find where Xehanort had taken Sora... Surely if they were still on this world Riku would be able to smell them, but if they weren't... What were they going to do if they weren't...?!

Xion went over and patted Roxas on the shoulders, even though it was clear she was worried too. "Roxas, you catch your breath and stay here with Naminé. If Riku comes back here to look for us we'll need someone to tell him what's going on," she said, and her tone, despite being soothing, left no room for arguments.

"But-!" Of course, that didn't mean Roxas didn't try to argue anyway.

"No buts! Stay here, Lea and Kairi and I will go search the rest of town for Riku! We know it a whole lot better now, so we shouldn't get lost, things'll be fine. Lea, Kairi, come on!" Xion gestured to the two people she'd determined would make up her party and started running off in a different direction than the Wayfinder Trio had left in.

"Right!" Lea agreed, running off after Xion. This was a mess...

***

Riku had managed to wander quite a bit away from where he and Sora had... talked? Fought? Broken up? It didn't matter... He was still crying, but he quickly forced the tears down when he heard footsteps running his way, although his eyes were probably still red...

And then Xion, Kairi and Lea came tearing around the corner. They all looked panicked... Oh no, had something happened again? Riku stood up to meet them, shoving his personal problems aside to deal with what was obviously more serious. "What's wrong?" he asked worriedly. Kairi called his name and tackled him in a hug, she was so distressed. And then he noticed... Where... " _ Where's Sora!? _ " he asked, panicking himself now. If they had split up to look for them maybe the others had found Sora first but... he... he had assumed Sora would have just gone back to Kairi for comfort... He shouldn't have left him alone...

"What do you mean "Where's Sora", why weren't you with him?!" Xion questioned angrily, skipping a couple steps in the explanation as she jumped to conclusions. Correct conclusions, but conclusions all the same. If he had to ask what was wrong he didn't know that Sora was kidnapped, and if he didn't know Sora was kidnapped that meant he had left him all alone not even three hours after they'd been attacked! Come on, man!

"Riku, Sora's been kidnapped," Kairi explained, pulling away from Riku and looking up at her friend with a worry-filled expression. "Roxas said he saw Xehanort take him through a Dark Corridor, we have no idea where they are right now. Everyone split up to look for you because we thought you might be hurt or..." Honestly, Kairi was a little upset he  _ wasn't _ hurt. What had happened? Why had the two of them wandered off together and then apparently separated without coming back to the group? Riku had been crying by the looks of things, did he actually witness what happened or did something else happen? Something wasn't adding up and she didn't like it.

" _ What!? _ " And Riku thought things couldn't get any worse. Sora was hurt and it was  _ entirely his fault.  _ He stared wide-eyed at Kairi for a moment before looking down and focusing. If they were here then... but he couldn't smell a darkness as foul as Xehanort's anywhere, only that residually left from the Unversed. He didn't... smell Sora either... "...They're not here. We have to go,  _ now _ ," he said, and then he just started running off to the gummi ship- or he tried to, but Lea caught his arm.

"Hold on pal. We're not gonna fix anything by just running off in a panic. They could be  _ anywhere _ now. We gotta be smart about this," Lea tried to reason, though really he, of all people, really understood what Riku was probably feeling right now.

Riku looked over his shoulder and tried to wrestle his arm free. "They're probably on The World That Never Was. Let's  _ go! _ " he argued back.

"Are you stupid? You wanna just charge the enemy castle without a plan!? Calm down! What the hell happened!?" Lea snapped back, resolutely not letting Riku go. The kid was not in his right mind obviously, even in the Realm of Sleep he hadn't been this upset- he always kept a level head. He was going to do something stupid if they just let him go.

"Riku, calm down!" Kairi tried to reason, but she wasn't particularly level-headed herself. She was worried sick about Sora; Xehanort could be doing anything to him right now, especially if he was in The World That Never Was! How had this happened...?

Xion was not happy. More than not happy, she was angry. She pouted at the group and reminded them, "We can't even leave yet if we wanted to without stranding half the group. Aqua said she and the others wouldn't be going back to the square until half an hour had passed unless they found something. If they get jumped it'll be even longer." Her irritation stained her voice, making her displeasure known. It was obvious she blamed Riku for whatever had happened and was  _ going _ to happen to Sora. Betrayal was not something she found easy to forgive.

Riku looked at Xion and down at the ground. She was right though, it was his fault and... she was Sora, so he probably blamed him too... "...I... We... got in a fight, ok?" he explained without explaining anything. Finally he ripped his arm from Lea's grip. "Look, I get it, I fucked up, and it's my fault he's gone, so just let me fix it okay! Half an hour is too long to wait!" And with that he was opening a Corridor of Darkness and leaving. Powers of darkness be  _ damned, _ he would do  _ anything  _ to get Sora back. He didn't stop to worry that he had thought he had lost the ability to use them. The portal shut behind him.

"That  _ idiot!! _ " Lea shouted, and in a second he was opening his own Corridor and stepping through. He stopped himself though, one foot in the darkness, and turned back to the girls. "...You coming? This is kinda an emergency so..." he explained lamely. Pulling the princess through a Dark Corridor was stupid, but hey, she'd done it before so she should be fine. They had bigger problems to worry about.

Xion groaned and ruffled her own hair. "Great, now we've lost  _ both _ of them! Fine!" she said, storming towards the Corridor of Darkness. Obviously, since she'd suggested that was how they get to Disney Town in the first place she had no complaints, but in her irritation she'd forgotten one important thing.

"Wait, if we follow after him now, how will Roxas and the others know what happened?" Kairi asked, ever worried about her friends. She was worried about Riku and Sora too, but people wandering off on their own had been what started this mess in the first place... "Shouldn't we at least go back and talk to Roxas and Naminé so they can relay the message before we leave?"

Lea listened to Kairi. Yeah, okay, she was right, but they had to hurry. This was a  _ mess.  _ Talk about a sticky situation... "Right. I'll take us back to the square first, then we can go." And with that he was gone into the darkness, off to tell Roxas what had happened... Honestly if it hadn't been Roxas waiting, he might have just left...

Roxas watched as a Corridor of Darkness opened in front of him and Naminé, and instinctively summoned his keyblades and got into a battle stance in front of his friend. When Lea and the others stepped through, he was... confused. Lowering his weapons, he asked, "Lea? Weren't you the one who said we shouldn't use those anymore?"

"We've got bigger problems right now," Xion explained. She still sounded frustrated. "Apparently the reason Sora was alone was Riku and Sora got in a fight and now Riku's being stupid and is attempting to storm The World That Never Was to look for Sora."

"... _ What. _ "

***

Riku, meanwhile, was marching through The Castle That Never Was on a  _ mission. _ He wasn't scared, it wasn't like this was the first time he'd stormed the place by himself with all 12 current Seekers defending it. Which... had almost ended poorly, and had taken Mickey, Donald, Goofy,  _ and _ Lea to get them both back out, but he didn't care. He was  _ going _ to save Sora. This was  _ his _ fault and he would  _ put it right _ . He wouldn't let anyone hurt Sora because of his mistakes, not  _ again.  _ At least Sora was easy to find; his scent stuck out like a sore thumb in a place reeking with such putrid darkness... though it... didn't seem quite as bright as it should have...

' _ It's been a long time, Riku... _ ' a voice spoke in Riku's mind. It was deep, dark, and moreover familiar. As soon as the boy had opened a Corridor of Darkness- no, as soon as he had given in to his dark impulses when he kissed Sora, Ansem had known. It had been such a long time since he'd felt the hero of twilight give in to that darkness... And then his youngest self had stolen away Riku's light. How  _ perfect _ .

Riku clicked his tongue. "I don't have time to deal with you right now," he said out loud, never stopping his running towards where he knew Sora was. It was a little hard to navigate the castle - he'd never been in this part of it before - but he'd figure it out. He  _ had to. _ He  _ needed  _ to save Sora. He never stopped to think what a bad sign he could hear Ansem in his head again was, he might not have even noticed it was in his head.

***

Naminé's hands flew to her mouth when she heard the news. She stared at them wide-eyed. She... Unlike the others she thought she had figured out what happened, and she was basically right. Riku's constant denial had hurt Sora enough for him to be weakened and captured... Of course, not even Naminé could imagine to the extent Sora's heart had broken and who was currently putting it back together...

"Yeah, basically. My reaction too. Now hurry up, we gotta get there before Sora gets turned and they off Riku- Naminé, you think you can handle telling the others? Find Ven and them and- shit, you should probably go get everyone at Radiant Garden too. This is a mess, we're gonna need all the help we can get," Lea rambled on quickly, waving his hands exasperatedly as he spoke. The Corridor was still open behind him, the other end of it already relocated.

Naminé nodded, looking determined. If she could do something to help, for a change, she would do anything. "I understand. I'll let everyone know. Don't worry about me, just... go take care of Sora. I'm sure... he's really hurting right now..." she said, her eyes drifting down at the last statement. She didn't really have time to explain to them what had probably happened, especially if she technically didn't know if she was right...

Roxas nodded and moved to go through the Dark Corridor, throwing a worried glance Xion's way. Acting angry was a little out of character for her, but... Well, these were kind of intense circumstances, and they  _ just _ got their own bodies. Still, it was something he'd need to keep an eye on...

Xion followed through the Dark Corridor without hesitation after Roxas. Kairi paused to look at Naminé, telling her, "Be careful, all right? We don't know if anyone else is out searching for people to abduct. Take care of yourself." And with that warning and well-wishing, Kairi went through the portal as well.


End file.
